Raila to Make ‘Major Announcement’ on Bipartisan Talks

Azimio leader Raila Odinga is expected to make a significant announcement regarding ongoing bipartisan negotiations.

Sources suggest that President William Ruto's team is obstructing the bipartisan talks, prompting Mr Odinga to hold a four-hour crisis meeting on Tuesday. The meeting discussed the coalition's involvement with the ruling alliance and attendees comprised coalition officials, negotiations team members and technical team members. Speculations indicate that Mr Odinga may need President Ruto to meet new demands soon.

The talks team briefed the coalition that the ruling alliance team may be taking orders from external sources, making it difficult to move forward without consulting those sources first. The negotiation teams initially had the goal of concluding negotiations in 60 days, but there have been no advancements in any of the items on the agenda. During the meeting, the Azimio leaders disclosed that some technical team meetings were cancelled due to the Kenya Kwanza team being unavailable.

The opposition leaders now warn that they may withdraw from the talks if President Ruto's side does not commit to expediting the negotiations. The meeting also addressed the dismissive comments made by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua regarding the talks. Gachagua stated over the weekend that the 2022 presidential election results should not be up for negotiation.

Another meeting is scheduled for Friday, but the agenda is unknown. Substantive agenda items were not discussed during Monday's negotiation team meeting. According to Ichung'wah, the technical team requires an additional week to review the public's memoranda.