Editor's Review

This comes after President William Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga held a private meeting in Mombasa last week. 

The Azimio la Umoja coalition on Monday, July 31 unveiled a five-member team that will negotiate with the Kenya Kwanza coalition over the country's problems. 

The five-member team includes; Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka (Delegation Leader), the Leader of the Minority Party, National Assembly Opiyo Wandayi, DAP Party Leader Eugene Wamalwa, Nyamira Senator Okong’o Omogeni, and Malindi MP Amina Mnyazi.

The opposition coalition at the same time noted that its position remains that no party in the new negotiations can claim a right to determine for the other what to raise and what not to raise.

“Azimio will respect Kenya Kwanza's right to bring all its issues to the table. We expect Kenya Kwanza to do the same with our issues. The issues, which the team has instructions to put on the table are: High Cost of Living, Audit of 2022 elections, Bipartisan Reconstitution of IEBC, Inclusivity in national affairs and Respect for Political Parties in line with the constitution,” Azimio stated.

The Raila Odinga-led coalition also said it's keen on a time-bound program of talks that should begin on August 1, 2023, and take one month.

File image of Azimio la Umoja leaders. 

This comes after it emerged that President William Ruto and Odinga held a private meeting in Mombasa on Friday last week and agreed to continue with talks to solve their differences.

“We sanctioned a meeting between our leadership and that of Kenya Kwanza, under the facilitation of H.E. Olusegun Obasanjo. This initial meeting was to prepare ground for honest discussions of the issues we have been raising and those that Kenya Kwanza feels like raising. The meeting was therefore a talk about envisaged talks,” Peter Munya announced on Sunday.

According to the new agreement, the dialogue committee will include four members from outside Parliament, two from each side, leaders of the Majority and Minority from the National Assembly, and four additional Members of Parliament -two from each side.

Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo will facilitate the talks between the two coalitions.