Raila Odinga, coalition leader and former presidential candidate, on Wednesday said they welcome the report, despite the dialogue team failing to address key issues, mainly the high cost of living.
AZIMIO STATEMENT ON NADCO REPORT; NOVEMBER 29, 2023:
After three months of difficult negotiations, the National Dialogue Committee submitted its report last Sunday. As we all recall, the talks were preceded by a stolen election, sweat, tears, police brutality and death, amid a… pic.twitter.com/FOCa5UbGlS
— Azimio TV (@AzimioTv) November 29, 2023
“This report is imperfect and unfinished but a good start,” Raila said, even as some senior members of his coalition disagreed with him.
The talks were initiated after protests following the 2022 general election that led to the death of opposition followers contesting the presidential poll results.
Raila accused the government of being unwilling to address the issue of the cost of living during the talks.
“Our side made reasonable proposals to address the rising cost of living. But the government flatly refused, terming it their exclusive business,” he said, adding that the opposition will seek other ways to ensure President William Ruto’s regime brings down the cost of living.
Meanwhile, Raila said some of the proposals made, like the creation of the office of the Opposition leader and the office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary should be subjected to a referendum so voters have the final say.
Divided opposition
After the release of the final report on 26 November, Raila’s coalition deputy Martha Karua urged Kenyans to reject the proposals from the dialogue team, saying what was agreed will not impact their lives.
“Any purported agreement that does not immediately impact on the cost of living, electoral justice and respect for multiparty democracy is a fraud on the people and must be rejected,” she said.
DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa, whose party forms the Azimio coalition, has also rejected the report. Wamalwa was also part of the dialogue team and represented the opposition.
“l didn’t and will not append my signature to the report and will not accept any sitting allowance for the same. We failed to agree on the cost of living,” he said.
The Jubilee Party, former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s Party, also a key affiliate in the opposition coalition, also rejected the report, with its Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni saying the proposals fell short of the expectations of the public.
“Kenyans were killed, not because of government positions, but due to the soaring cost of living,” he said.
However, Raila has denied division within his coalition, saying their stand is one and their absence from Wednesday’s meeting was because they had travelled out of the country.
Cohesion among the opposition leaders in the Azimio coalition is under threat, Edwin Kegoli, a Nairobi-based political analyst, tells The Africa Report. He added that the issue of how to solve the high cost of living that has unified the coalition seems to be splitting them.
“These are early signs of a deeply divided opposition. Expect a splinter group within the coalition ahead of the 2027 polls,” he says, adding that the dissenting voices want to show Kenyans that they speak for them.
Ruto endorses report
President Ruto, however, welcomed the dialogue report, which he says his government will fully implement to help unite Kenyans.
In the pursuit of nation-building, we advocate for a transcendence of entrenched positions and grandstanding, prioritizing the greater good of our country.
The National Dialogue Committee report stands as a testament to the spirit of compromise, genuine goodwill, and a profound… pic.twitter.com/DMcdtVXS8w— Kimani Ichung’wah (@KIMANIICHUNGWAH) November 25, 2023
“All the recommendations made by the bipartisan dialogue team are practical and good for the country,” Ruto said.
Recommendations from the dialogue team include:
- Evaluation of the 2022 general election process
- Reconstituting the IEBC selection panel to expand from seven to nine members.
- Presidential election petition to be heard and determined within 21 days, not the current 14.
- Legal reforms passed less than 18 months before the general election to take effect in the next electoral cycle.
- On the cost of living, all arms of government to cut travel expenditure by 50%.
- Establishment of the Office of the Opposition Leader with two deputies.
- Entrenchment of the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary in the constitution.
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