Azimio Rejects Parliamentary Bipartisan Talks, Protests to Resume on Monday
The Azimio la Umoja coalition has announced that they will not be participating in any parliamentary processes regarding the bipartisan talks, claiming that Kenya Kwanza has shown a lack of transparency.
While addressing the media on behalf of Azimio on Tuesday, Wiper party leader Kalonzo Musyoka stated that they now want out of parliament talks since Kenya Kwanza has shown no intention to hold honest dialogues.
This decision, Kalonzo added, was met after they got wind of a motion Kenya Kwanza has drafted which they say is “allegedly aimed at setting up a joint select committee in Parliament.”
He went on to state that they were not consulted in its drafting and that it was made in “absolute bad faith”.
“The motion purports to name members of the Minority Party to the so-called select committee without any reference to the Minority leadership in violation of the Standing Orders of both houses,” he said.
He added: “It purports to set the terms of reference and scope of the discussions without any reference to us…Our members of parliament in both houses shall not be party to any other process and particularly not the one proposed in the motion by Kenya Kwanza.”
“We remain committed to an extra-parliamentary dialogue that is transparent, honest, meaningful and bipartisan in conception and execution.”
Kalonzo went on to add that the coalition’s leadership has resolved to engage in an extra-parliamentary process, noting that what they bring to the table cannot be dictated by the Kenya Kwanza camp.
He reiterated that Azimio shall remain firm on its demands, adding that they shall not allow the talks to digress from addressing the issues at hand.
“Our issues remain what we said before and they are reduction in the cost of unga, fuel, electricity and school fees, opening and audit of IEBC servers, bipartisan reform and constitution of IEBC, reinstatement of the 4 IEBC commissioners and end to the buying of MPs which threatens multiparty democracy,” said Kalonzo.
The Wiper leader went on to note that Kenya Kwanza has exhibited bad faith from the beginning of setting up the bipartisan talks, and will be resuming their weekly protests once the Ramadan period ends.
“The coalition shall resume its weekly protests at the end of Ramadhan and further communication in this regard will follow,” he said.
In the meantime, Azimio has instructed its chairperson Otiendo Omollo “to formally invite the Kenya Kwanza meeting for a meeting to set ground rules for the (extra-parliamentary) talks”
Courtesy Citizen Digital
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