Inside Raila's Two-Day Naivasha Meeting With Azimio Governors

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition leader Raila Odinga on Friday, November 25, hosted Governors and Deputy Governors affiliated with the coalition in Naivasha, Nakuru County.

Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka and NARC Kenya leader Martha Karua were among those present for the retreat which was attended by governors James Orengo, Fernandes Barasa, George Natembeya, Gladys Wanga, Abdulswamad Sheriff Nassir, Ochilo Ayacko among others.

The meeting took place two days apart (from Thursday, November 24 to November 25) to review the state of affairs facing the country.

"We conducted a thorough analysis of the state of our economy, politics and human security and noted that the people of Kenya are facing times with no immediate end in sight. At the conclusion of the meeting, we resolved as follows:

Azimio Governors' retreat in Naivasha. /TWITTER

Azimio Governors' Resolutions

"We will continue to champion the causes of the people of Kenya and demonstrate our commitment to safeguarding the Constitution, democracy, and the rule of law," a statement on the meeting seen by Viral Tea read in part.

The governors resolved to commit to their constitutional mandate of serving the people in their respective counties. They will also engage the national government on the basis of mutual cooperation and consultation for the benefit of the people of Kenya within the framework of the principles of the two levels of government being distinct and interdependent.

The governors unanimously accused the Kenya Kwanza government of lacking legitimacy from the people despite having the appearance of legality.

"We remind the people of Kenya that slavery may have been legal in some jurisdictions but remained repugnant to morality and justice. Colonialism may have been covered by the veneer of legality but was morally decadent and unjust. 

"Similarly, rigging of elections may have been clothed with the cloak of legality but it remains illegitimate and repugnant to justice. Our quest for electoral justice continues and we will never allow the rigging of elections to become the new normal in our country," added the statement.

The governors and the coalition took serious notice of and condemned in the strongest terms possible the revenge mission the regime they said they embarked on against the four dissenting commissioners of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) who dismissed the presidential election results by the IEBC Chair Wafula Chebukati.

They demanded Chebukati and the other two outgoing IEBC commissioners to immediately proceed to their terminal leave to stop further cannibalization of the Commission.

"County governments led by our coalition shall endeavour to diligently serve the people of Kenya and demonstrate our commitment to a better Kenya for all Kenyans. We shall protect the devolved system of governance and oppose vigorously any attempt to discriminate against any community and/or region of Kenya on the basis of political persuasion, ethnicity or religious faith. The fair allocation of resources to all counties is guaranteed by the Constitution and we will work with Kenyans to ensure each county receives its fair share.

"We shall establish a culture of consultations with all elected leaders (MCAs and Members of Parliament) in our respective counties for the seamless implementation of the Azimio Manifesto in our counties. To buttress this, we undertake to strengthen the Azimio movement in our respective counties so as to restore hope among our members and the people of Kenya generally," it added.

The coalition also announced that they have begun deep reflections and consultations with the Kenyan people on the required resistance and struggle to protect the people of Kenya and the country's democracy, affirming that they will not allow the re-establishment of authoritarian rule, and the violations of human rights and to be taken back to the dark days of oppression and dictatorship in the country.

"We shall robustly confront and oppose all dangerous policies and practices of the Kenya Kwanza regime including the sinister efforts to introduce GMO food and/or seeds, destruction of our environment including the re-introduction of the discredited “shamba system”, attempts to tax the most vulnerable segments of our society including “mama mbogas”, increasing the cost of living," the statement read on.

Azimio Governors' retreat in Naivasha. /TWITTER

The governors believed the government was not prepared to lead and has no clue on how to fix Kenya’s problems, accusing it under President Ruto of continuing to be obsessed with campaigning.

"This regime of lies, deceit and false promises is out of its depth and shall not be allowed to ruin our lives," it went on, adding that the governors will form a caucus as Azimio governors and deputy governors in and outside the Council of Governors (CoG) to coordinate its activities and synergise in development and serving its people.