Ichung'wah Explains Why Kenya Kwanza Will Not Meet Azimio Demands

The Kenya Kwanza side of the bipartisan talks now regrets that they will not be able to meet the ultimatum set by Azimio la Umoja. 

The Azimio coalition had requested the negotiations to commence on Monday, August 7. However, Ruto's camp has expressed their regret that they are unable to have the initial discussions on the stipulated date because of other deliberations. The Majority Leader of the National Assembly Kimani Ichung'wah stresses that their absence ought not to be interpreted as a lack of earnestness and dedication. Rather, he suggests scheduling the mutual inaugural meeting on Thursday, August 10 at 10 am.

"While appreciating the urgency to embark on the talks, it is worth noting that having just constituted our team, we had a scheduled debrief on Monday with our team in order to prepare for the talks and a further engagement with the Bi-Partisan team and their assisting counsels on Tuesday 8th August 2023," the statement by Ichung'wah reads in part. 

President William Ruto's team has also rejected the proposal by Azimio la Umoja that the talks be held at Serena Hotel in Nairobi, citing the high cost involved. Kenya Kwanza suggests that a town hall meeting would not incur any additional expenditure to the public and would be available for such public meetings at little or no cost. The upcoming talks between the Kenyan government and the opposition are expected to focus on issues of public interest such as the reckless accumulation of public debt and the need for austerity measures. 

The opposition had requested that the talks begin on Monday, August 7th at the Serena Hotel. In a letter to National Assembly majority leader Kimani Ichung'wah, Kalonzo urged both teams to move quickly in starting the process that was brokered by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.