A grand welcome awaits Raila as Ruto executes plan to corner arch-rival
Azimio la Umoja coalition leaders led by ODM chief Raila Odinga (centre), Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka (left) and Narc-Kenya boss Martha Karua (right) during a press briefing at Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka Command Centre in Nairobi on April 18, 2023.
Opposition leader Raila Odinga jets back into the country today for a grand rally to address the political crisis that deepened after bipartisan talks stalled, even as President William Ruto’s side executed a counter-strategy designed to corner their rivals.
With the bipartisan negotiations in limbo after the opposition walked out citing inclusion of an opposition lawmaker as part of the government team, the President’s side hastily sealed an agreement to bring another opposition party into the ruling coalition fold.
The latest strategy is designed to question the legitimacy of an MP from the party nominated to represent Mr Odinga’s camp at the talks, effectively checkmating the opposition on disputed composition of the 14-member committee.
By formalising its engagement with Kenya Unions Party (KUP) led by former West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo yesterday, the President’s camp sought to also build its case against Azimio’s involvement of Pokot South MP David Pkosing (KUP) in the talks.
The dialogue hit a snag following Azimio’s concerns over Kenya Kwanza’s inclusion of Eldas MP Adan Keynan (Jubilee) in its team of negotiators, despite his Jubilee Party being an affiliate of their coalition.
Equally, they had insisted that Mr Pkosing was legitimately in the Azimio side of the team as there was no formal agreement between Kenya Kwanza and KUP.
This explains why President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza camp yesterday raced against time to sign a post-election coalition agreement with KUP to forestall Azimio coalition’s complaints over its membership.
Yesterday, National Assembly Majority Leader Opiyo Wandayi reiterated that the coalition leaders and supporters will welcome Mr Odinga at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) from his week-long tour of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the afternoon and begin the procession to Kamukunji grounds in Kibra for a rally.
“The programme will begin from 2pm after arrival of our party leader and he will later address the nation at a mega rally in Kibra and give the way forward,” Mr Wandayi told Nation.
Today’s rally will precede another major event for the opposition coalition on Tuesday next week, when their supporters are expected to resume anti-government protests following the collapse of the bipartisan talks.
The bipartisan committee talks co-chaired by MPs Otiende Amollo (Rarieda) and George Murugara (Tharaka) collapsed on Tuesday following failure by the 14-member team to agree on the composition of the committee.
Yesterday, Dr Amollo told Nation that as far as they are concerned, nothing had changed since Tuesday, adding that the talks remain suspended. “I am unaware of any progress made so far. Not to the best of my knowledge. The position remains as it was the last time we made our address,” Dr Amollo told Nation.Africa.
Mr Murugara, however, said the talks were only adjourned indefinitely to address the contentious composition issue. “We are still in deep discussions, and definitely we will make some progress. Even this afternoon, we are thinking of making an address,” Mr Murugara told Nation.
By the time of going to press, the Tharaka MP said no tangible progress had been made to warrant media address.
“But the talks are not dead, they were only adjourned indefinitely to address the contentious issues and a date will then be fixed,” he said.
Asked whether the team had met the two principals over the contentious issues, Mr Murugara said: “We have already spoken to their respective authorised agents especially for Kenya Kwanza and it is not in order to disclose who the representatives are.”
On the composition of the bipartisan team, Kenya Kwanza, following Azimio complaints on Mr Keynan’s inclusion in their team, also raised issues with the inclusion of Mr Pkosing in the Azimio camp, insisting Mr Lonyangapuo, the KUP leader, was in the process of formalising his association with the ruling coalition.
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But Mr Odinga’s camp led by Dr Amollo insisted that the Kenya Kwanza argument was merely based on an “intention to work together” and could thus not hold water.
“One of the issues we have raised is about party discipline and party hopping and therefore the objection by Azimio is not just a question of composition. It goes to the principle of the talks because if we allow Keynan to be part of the talks it amounts to dropping that as one of the four key issues to be addressed,” the Rarieda legislator asserted.
Yesterday, Prof Lonyangapuo’s KUP signed an agreement to join President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza coalition, even though the party is yet to officially exit Azimio coalition, setting the stage for further tussle with the opposition coalition.
During the signing event, Majority Party Whip Silvanus Osoro said the two KUP MPs in Parliament — Mr Pkosing and his Kacheliba counterpart Titus Lotee — will now join Kenya Kwanza coalition and will take the position of the ruling coalition in the bipartisan talks.
“I expect that as a whip, I will be urging all the members in the National Assembly, including those belonging to KUP. They now formally belong to Kenya Kwanza Alliance. I believe that the party has its own internal mechanisms to discipline those who go against the party position,” Mr Osoro said.
The Majority Whip also said the signing of the agreement by KUP to join Kenya Kwanza is a strategy by President Ruto’s party to mitigate the ongoing squabbles on the composition of the bipartisan committee.
“Today’s signing of the agreement with the Kenya Union Party should be an eye-opener to them. Now that KUP has formally joined us, the excuses and unnecessary squabbles as far as Keynan is concerned should be mitigated by the issues that have happened today. We are okay having Mr Pkosing if they are okay having Keynan. If they are not okay having Mr Keynan to represent our team, we are also not okay having Mr Pkosing representing their team. You cannot have your cake and eat it,” he added.
Prof Lonyangapuo did not confirm whether KUP has officially withdrawn from the Azimio coalition.
He said that the party has its own internal disciplinary mechanisms to punish errant members who will not align with Kenya Kwanza.
United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary-General Cleopas Malala, who witnessed the signing of the post-election agreement, urged Azimio to call off the demonstrations and engage in talks.
“We call upon our political friends in Azimio to approach these talks with an open mind and honesty. As far as we are concerned, the talks have only been adjourned to allow for further consultations and have not collapsed as some would want some Kenyans to believe,” Mr Malala said.
Azimio Executive Council chairman Wycliffe Oparanya has already written to the Officer Commanding Station (OCS), Nairobi Central police station, informing him of their planned processions in the city centre.
