Divisions In Azimio After Raila Picks 7-Member Team For Bipartisan Talks

Just hours after the Azimio la Umoja side set up a seven-member team to engage President William Ruto's Kenya Kwanza government on bipartisan talks, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga encountered resistance from insiders within the coalition.

Embakasi East Member of Parliament Babu Owino led in raising concerns over the Azimio leader's choice of politicians to represent him in the talks, arguing that the youth deserved to be featured in the lineup to lead the bipartisan talks.

The second-term lawmaker justified his argument by claiming that the youth suffered the most at the hands of brutality during weekly protests by State and non-State actors, therefore they deserve to be on the front line.

Embakasi East MP Babu Owino speaking during the Azimio la Umoja demonstrations on March 27, 2023. /BABU OWINO

"A team has been set up to Represent Azimio in the Bipartisan talks. I wish them well. However, it would have been more effective and efficient if a youth was part of the team because it’s the youth who are killed, maimed, and still at the forefront in the struggle," he said.

Babu was backed up by former Nairobi Governor, Mike Sonko, who revealed that the Embakasi East MP was loyal to Raila, even to the point of braving teargas smoke to support him.

"It is not fair to leave Babu Owino out of the committee the way he has braced teargas to support you in protests. Be loyal Baba," Sonko wrote.

On his part, Kileleshwa MCA Robert Alai challenged Raila's choice of the seven-member team to represent his side in the bipartisan talks, which did not include any Member of the County Assembly (MCA).

"The team chosen to represent Azimio in the talks should have had MCAs. It's a team which might not work well for us.

"MCAs drove the resistance against impunity. MPs sold us off and were even bought in the National Assembly and Senate like njugu (groundnuts). So why don't we have MCAs?" he posed.

Azimio principal, Martha Karua questioned the bipartisan process only involving Parliamentary actors and not including other players from outside the confines of the National Assembly, accusing it of bias since Raila was mostly involved in spearheading the talks.

"We cannot leave the process of reconstituting the IEBC to a parliament that is controlled by the Executive with Speakers who have openly taken sides. The process must be driven from the outside for it to be successful," she stated.

Karua however supported the choice of members to represent Raila's interests. Also in support include Kalonzo Musyoka and Eugene Wamalwa with former President Uhuru Kenyatta sending apologies for missing the meeting where the decision was ratified.

Azimio picked three senators and four Members of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the bipartisan parliamentary talks. They included Senators Ledama Olekina (Narok), Edwin Sifuna (Nairobi), Enoch Wambua (Kitui), and MPs David Kosing (Pokot South), Otiende Amollo (Rarieda), Millie Odhiambo (Suba North), and Amina Mnyanzi (Malindi).

Raila is demanding President Ruto to lower the cost of living, open the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) servers, and reinstatement of dismissed commissioners led by Juliana Cherera, the former IEBC vice chairperson. 

He also wants Ruto to reconstitute the team seeking to appoint new IEBC commissioners to replace former chairperson Wafula Chebukati, and ex-commissioners Boya Molu and Abdi Guliye, even though Ruto insisted that he was open to engaging with Azimio but through a parliamentary process, ruling any possibility of a handshake.

President William Ruto addressing residents of Nyandarua County in the middle of rain on April 6, 2023. /WILLIAM RUTO