Police Cancel Azimio's Meeting In Murang'a At Last Minute

Police in Murang'a on Wednesday, April 19 cancelled a town hall meeting organised by the Azimio la Umoja coalition and which was to be held on Thursday, April 20.

Murang’a County Police Commander David Mathiu announced that the event was called off because the coalition failed to honour the four-day legal requirement for submitting notices.

Former Murang’a Governor Mwangi wa Iria had submitted a notification for the meeting to the law enforcement officers on Tuesday, April 18, adding that former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga and other Azimio leaders were expected to attend, including Kalonzo Musyoka, Martha Karua, George Wajackoyah and Mwangi wa Iria and Jeremiah Kioni.

Azimio la Umajo party leader Raila Odinga and ex-governor Mwangi wa Iria during a past event on July 23, 2022. /FACEBOOK.RECORD TV KENYA

“Raila Odinga will be here. The Azimio leadership will be here and we are inviting everybody.

“We want to hear what people are saying,” commented the Usawa Party 2022 presidential election aspirant. 

Mathiu however called off the meeting owing to the late notice and that police were already deployed elsewhere and they needed an earlier notification in order to prepare and provide adequate security.

The event would have been Azimio's first town hall meeting in the Mt. Kenya region, days after holding another in Nairobi on April 13.

Trade unions, farmers’ associations, small businesses, civil society organisations, veterans, human rights activists, intellectuals and faith-based organisations were among the parties invited to the meeting.

The cancellation endangers Azimio's chances of resuming its weekly protests after the Ramadhan period to pressure President William Ruto to meet its demands.

On Tuesday, April 18, Azimio declared that it would not take part in the bipartisan talks if the process happens to be parliamentary, raising issues with the motion proposed by the Kenya Kwanza Alliance, arguing that they were not consulted over the upcoming motion.

“Last evening we learned of a motion drafted by the Kenya Kwanza leadership allegedly aimed at setting up a joint select committee at parliament. The motion is in absolute bad faith.

"We have insisted on an extra-parliamentary process in view of the structures of debate in Parliament and we will therefore not participate in any such parliamentary process,” said Wiper Party Leader Kalonzo Musyoka who read the statement on behalf of the coalition.

He reiterated the call by Azimio MPs and Senators to take part in an extra-parliamentary dialogue and nothing more, nothing less.

The former Vice President further revealed that Azimio's bi-partisan team chairperson, Senior Counsel Otiende Amollo was instructed to invite the Kenya Kwanza team for a meeting to set ground rules for the talks.

Azimio la Umoja further demanded that the President Ruto-led government must compensate those who were injured or killed during the mass actions that took place for two weeks in Nairobi and other parts of the country. 

"The regime must immediately take up the hospital bills of all Kenyans who sustained injuries as a result of police brutality during the recent protests and demonstrations and pay reparations for those who lost their property and lives," Azimio demanded. 

This is an addition to their existing demands that include the reduction in the cost of unga, fuel, electricity and school fees as well as the opening and audit of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) servers; bipartisan reform and reconstitution of the IEBC.

Azimio leaders flanking Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka during a media address on April 18, 2023. /RAILA ODINGA