Azimio la Umoja leader, Raila Odinga, has called off anti-government protests that were scheduled for Monday, April 3, in order to allow for dialogue with the government.
Speaking from Capitol Hill in Nairobi on Sunday evening, Odinga acknowledged President William Ruto’s appeal for reconciliation and welcomed his statement of reviewing laws on the selection of IEBC commissioners.
“Ruto has asked me and Azimio to enter into a constitutional open-ended and biding dialogue with his govt to find a resolution to the issues that we in Azimio have raised over the last year’s elections and key governance and cost of living issues facing our country,” Raila said.
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“We acknowledge Mr Ruto’s olive branch for a dialogue on key issues raised by Azimio La Umoja. To us, this is a positive development,” Odinga added.
“We agree that a balanced parliamentary process co-chaired by both sides and backed by experts from both sides should proceed. In our view, this committee must be composed with immediate effect with strict deadlines for resolving the crisis facing the country,” said Odinga.
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Odinga also ordered his supporters to stand down from the planned protests and acknowledged President Ruto’s olive branch for a dialogue on key issues raised by Azimio la Umoja, calling it a positive development.
However, he also stated that the weekly protests would resume next week if the talks with President Ruto fail.
The political climate in Kenya remains tense as the country waits to see if the bipartisan talks will bear any fruit.
