Azimio, Kenya Kwanza differ on bipartisan talks

The resumption of the bipartisan talks hangs in the balance after the two sides, Kenya Kwanza and the Azimio la Umoja differed on the agenda.

The co-chairman of the team expressed different positions on the resumption of the talks. While Kenya Kwanza’s Gitonga Murugara said his team was ready for talks, Azimio’s co-chair Otiende Amollo said his side would require time to relook the matter.

Murugara, however, said his team was prepared to re-engage but reiterated the talks must be within the parameters of the law.

“We have not given up on the talks but they must be premised on the reconstruction of the IEBC only. We are waiting to hear from them over the matter,” Murugara told a press conference at the Parliament Buildings.

But Amollo while reacting on the statement maintained that any bipartisan talks cannot be embedded on any law other than Article 1.

“The absence of good faith is still there, more importantly I am not in a position to comment because my authority was withdrawn when the talks were suspended,” Amollo said.

He added: “I was the chairman of Azimio bipartisan team, when it became clear there was lack of good faith, we were instructed to suspend the talks and withdraw and that is what we did. We don’t have such powers to participate in the talks.”

Amollo told the Kenya Kwanza that if they have no powers to stop the process of recruitment of IEBC commissioners why were they having talks on the agenda.

“There are no demonstrations, the attitude has changed. How would you resume talks for only one item?” posed Amollo.

He said that his side position has been clear as expressed when the talks were suspended that the biggest issue is the cost of living and that the Kenya Kwanza cannot deny that is not even on the table.

“Kenya Kwanza has attitude issues on these talks. There is no need for us resuming only to end up from where we started,” he said. While announcing the suspension of the talks Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna said the two sides failed to agree on a number of issues.

Sifuna said that the government side was reluctant to meet some of the demands fronted by the opposition, the reason they decided to suspend the talks.

“We have had to suspend the Bipartisan dialogue after we could not persuade our friends from KK (Kenya Kwanza) to concede to some common sense interim measures namely lowering of the cost of unga, preservation of the election servers, suspension of IEBC reconstitution (and) for them to leave Jubilee alone,” Sifuna stated.

The senator, however, did not indicate the next cause of action from the opposition side.
“These are necessary in our view in order to safeguard the outcome of the talks. We hope sense shall prevail,” he added.

Initially, Azimio had suspended their involvement in the bipartisan talks demanding that the Kenya Kwanza team drop Eldas MP Adan Keynan from their side. The talks resumed after Keynan was dropped.
On May 4, the Azimio council led by Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka said their talks with the Kenya Kwanza must not exceed 30 days.

“As we said yesterday, we will not hesitate to resort to alternative measures at the slightest indication of lack of goodwill on Kenya Kwanza said.

If, through intransigence, delaying tactics and other aspects of stonewalling Kenya Kwanza forces us to abandon the talks, there shall be no turning back.

Kenya Kwanza must get us clear on this,” Raila said.
Azimio wants the negotiations to revolve around recruitment of the national polls team, opening and audit of the IEBC servers, cost of living and reinstatement of election commissioners who were kicked out after the last General Election.