President Ruto Invites Raila for Bipartisan Talks on IEBC Reconstitution

President Ruto has urged Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga to call off the ongoing anti-government protests, saying he is ready to engage the opposition on their demands.

"I have listened to the issues raised by my friend, the Honorable Raila Odinga, in times like these, it is not about who is right or who is wrong. Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak but it is also what it takes to sit down and listen," Ruto said in a televised address from State House, Nairobi on Sunday.

On the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), the president suggested a bipartisan engagement by Parliament to yield what he termed as "constitutionally and legally-binding proposals."

"On the reconstitution of the future electoral commission, I suggest a bipartisan engagement by Parliament within the parameters of the law and the constitution," he said.

"My suggestion is that this matter can be handled by parliament so that we can agree on what the issue is and we can adjust as agreed and as necessary.”

“When we engage in a bipartisan approach it is not a game of numbers it is a game of reason and how we put our arguments in a manner that carries not one side but all sides that is the essence of a bipartisan approach,” he added.

Ruto, who was flanked by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, said the opposition demonstrations have resulted in the deaths of three people and injured at least 400 others.

“The country’s economy has been hard hit, at a time when my administration is doing everything possible to salvage the economy from the deep hole it was in,” he said.

"I urge my brother Raila Odinga to call off the demonstrations and to give this bipartisan approach a chance to take this country forward,” Ruto added.