Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party Leader Raila Odinga has fired a warning shot at the Kenya Kwanza government accusing its members of attempting to sabotage the ongoing bi-partisan talks.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mr Odinga accused the President William Ruto-led party of provoking the opposition to scuttle the ongoing dialogue by crippling Azimio-affiliated parties, especially the Jubilee Party.
Odinga reiterated that the decision by Azimio to engage in dialogue with the government was not arrived at through fear but the desire to achieve stability in the country.
“Kenya Kwanza must take a final notice from us that they risk scuttling a very serious national agenda through shortsighted intransigence, dishonesty and a game of musical chairs,” said Odinga.
“We remind Kenya Kwanza a final time that we did not agree to engage in talks because we are weak. We remain committed to the spirit of peace and stability that necessitated the talks. However, we will never negotiate out of fear.”
According to Odinga, the latest call by some Jubilee Party members led by EALA MP Kanini Kega, now affiliated with Kenya Kwanza, to have the party included in talks is an act of dishonesty.
He further claims that the errant Jubilee members are Kenya Kwanza moles sent to dismantle the talks, something he says may turn out to be ‘costly’ to the government.
“The attack on Azimio is, therefore, a state-sponsored assault on multipartysm and a continuing indication that Kenya Kwanza remains dishonest and contemptuous of the process of dialogue where respect for the autonomy of political parties is one of our agenda,” he noted.
“The latest show of this contempt is the letter by UDA-backing Jubilee members demanding the inclusion of Jubilee as a party in the talks, failure to which they will seek redress in court.”
Odinga added: “Kenya Kwanza is clearly working through its hired backers to scuttle the talks or cripple them through endless litigation. These games could prove extremely costly.”
MP Kega earlier on Wednesday wrote to protest the exclusion of Jubilee Party representation in the proposed membership of the bipartisan select committee.
