Azimio la Umoja – One Kenya Coalition principal Raila Odinga has denied reports that he has been bribed to form a government of national unity with President William Ruto, stating that he is still in solidarity with the Gen Zs agitating for good governance in the country.
In a statement while in Dubai, Raila says the allegations are baseless propaganda by detractors of the Azimio coalition.
“The idea that I have agreed to such a government is entirely false,” Raila stated. He further noted that the issues raised by the protesting Gen Zs were genuine and that the Azimio coalition raised the same last year, some of which are yet to be addressed.
Additionally, Raila dismissed reports of a split in ODM and the Azimio coalition.
“In a robust dismissal, Odinga refuted rumours of discord within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) or Azimio calling such reports fabrications,” a statement by Azimio TV noted.
This comes in the wake of an imminent crack in the coalition with a faction led by Raila endorsing the planned dialogue with President William Ruto while the other affiliate parties in the coalition including Wiper, Jubilee, PNU and Narc-Kenya, flatly oppose the talks.
The differences came to a head on July 17, 2024, when a group of goons stormed and disrupted an address by Azimio co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka, roughing up journalists in the melee that followed.
“People should go outside! everybody out! the meeting is over! Media people, also leave the meeting is over,” some of the goons were heard shouting during the invasion.
Raila would later issue an apology after it emerged that he had left the meeting shortly after attending it, saying he had other commitments elsewhere. Musyoka was unable to read the resolutions of the Parliamentary group meeting.
Raila demands before dialogue
The former premier also listed six demands to the Kenya Kwanza administration before the national discussions could be convened.
He maintains that these conditions will demonstrate to Kenyans Ruto and Gachagua’s goodwill that can create a conducive environment for a national broad-based people’s convention to address the nation’s critical issues.
The issues raised by Raila include the dropping of all pending charges against protesters, halting abductions and extrajudicial killings of protesters, the unconditional release of all arrested political protesters and the compensation to the relatives of those who were killed by the police and goon violence during the protests including the ones for last year among others.
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