‘Heri tu mrudi maandamano nyinyi’ – Sudi rubbishes Raila’s new demands
By Mary Ouko, April 5, 2023
Kapseret Member of Parlament (MP) Oscar Sudi has dismissed Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya leader Raila Odinga’s new demands to President William Ruto’s administration to iron out issues raised during the coalition’s mass actions.
In a statement shared via his official Twitter account, Sudi said he was shocked that Raila wanted talks similar to the 2008 National Accord spearheaded by the late former United Nations Secretary-General Koffi Annan after the disputed 2007 presidential election results.
While claiming that Raila was using the issues of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) servers and unga prices to negotiate for a dialogue akin to the 2008 National Accord, the outspoken lawmaker wondered how the issues aforementioned were related to the 2008 National Accord.
He subsequently stated that the opposition members continue their protests since their demands were ‘unrealistic’.
“I am shocked to hear Raila Odinga desperately seeking talks like the 2008 National Accord using the issues of the price of unga and opening of @IEBCKenya servers. Do these issues even relate? Heri tu mrudi Maandamano nyinyi,” Sudi wrote.
Sudi’s remarks came hours after Raila and other leaders allied to the Azimio faction held a presser to address their concerns in response to Ruto’s calls for bipartisan talks.
Ruto had proposed a bipartisan parliamentary engagement to address Raila’s concerns on the reconstitution of the IEBC. At the time, Raila called off the National protests shortly after Ruto’s address.
But while addressing a presser on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, Raila asserted that the parliamentary process proposed by the president was not an effective way of addressing the grievances aired by the opposition.
He noted that the faction preferred to have a conversation at the national level through a process similar to the 2008 National Accord.
“It is the resolution of this meeting that a purely parliamentary process may not serve the intended ends. Our suggestion is to have a conversation at the national level through a process akin to the 2008 National Accord,” Raila said.
“To this end, the coalition proposes a team drawn from its ranks both in Parliament and outside Bunge,” he added.