Raila Makes Changes to Azimio Dialogue Team

Azimio has appointed Jubilee Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni as the head of the Legal and Technical team to appease a faction of Mt Kenya leaders allied to the coalition. 

Azimio leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday announced that Kioni and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka will lead the talks on behalf of the opposition coalition. Kalonzo will head the dialogue team, while Kioni will lead the legal and technical team. The opposition chief also maintained that their key demands to be addressed in the talks stand, including the high cost of living, the audit of the 2022 Presidential Election, restructuring of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, measures to prevent interference with political parties and outstanding constitutional matters. 

"We have tasked our delegation and our technical teams, under the able leadership of Kalonzo and Kioni to go to these talks with courage of and open minds. It takes courage and open minds to establish common ground in situations of dispute," Raila said. 

Raila agreed that the negotiations would be held in public at Bomas, mirroring what National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichungw’ah had demanded. Last week, some top Azimio leaders from the Mt Kenya region were missing subsequent press briefings called by Raila and Kalonzo, pointing to a silent protest over the list submitted by Azimio. Raila has urged the Kenya Kwanza side to refrain from political vitriol during public rallies.

The opposition has suggested that the talks should be completed before September. Meanwhile, Azimio leaders from the Mt Kenya region have criticized President William Ruto's development tour of the Central region, calling it a "publicity stunt." The leaders, including Martha Karua, Peter Munya, and Jeremiah Kioni, argue that the visit was of no value because the projects being commissioned were started years ago.