Why Cost Of Living Was Missing In Agreement Letter With Azimio- Ruto

President William Ruto on Sunday, July 30 opened up on why the cost of living was excluded from his government's agreement with the Azimio la Umoja coalition, which in turn, has been a concern the coalition has raised for a long time.

On Saturday, July 29, Ruto and Azimio leader Raila Odinga agreed on a new way of resolving the political impasse that has seen the opposition take to the streets through anti-government protests.

"We have, therefore, agreed with Kenya Kwanza to establish a committee of ten, composed of five members each from Azimio La Umoja and Kenya Kwanza.

"They include four members from outside Parliament, two from each side. The Leaders of Majority and Minority from the National Assembly, four additional Members of Parliament, two from each side," the statement to newsrooms read in part.

The two sides arrived at the agreement following intervention by former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo who had several meetings with both teams.

Azimio la Umoja however distanced itself from the Kenya Kwanza agreement arguing that the main issues that pushed them to resume nationwide protests were not factored in among the terms of engagement.

According to the opposition, their four-point agenda included the cost of living, electoral audit reforms, noninterference in coalitions and their constituent parties, and accountability and probe into police brutality that has claimed dozens of innocent lives.

For Kenya Kwanza, the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), implementation of the 2/3 gender rule and entrenchment of the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), the establishment and the entrenchment of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition and the embedment of the office of Prime Cabinet Secretary were issues evident in their statement.

Why Cost of Living Was Missing From Kenya Kwanza Statement

Speaking during the Interdenominational Church Service at Ukunda Showground in Kwale County, Ruto defended the exclusion of the cost of living from his government's agreement with Azimio, stating that the plan to lower the cost of living was in the Kenya Kwanza manifesto from the word go.

"There are other leaders saying that the issues are yet to be discussed. What about the cost of living? This is already in our manifesto. It cannot be solved the way they want; through maandamano and other antics.

"We are already implementing the manifesto that is moving towards lowering the cost of living. Fertiliser will soon cost Ksh2,500. We have a whole program that will be catered towards that," he stated.

The Head of State assured that he held discussions with the opposition and the parties agreed that his administration would not entertain violence across the country again.

"I am obligated to make sure every Kenyan, whether they supported my policy or not, is safe and their properties are guaranteed. Moving forward, our politics will be devoid of violence," he stated.

Raila's New Demands To Ruto On Agreement Talks

Meanwhile, Raila, speaking at his Karen home on Sunday, July 30, issued five demands to President Ruto in connection with the agreement talks to end the political impasse.

The former Prime Minister argued that lowering the cost of living must be included in the talks, adding that the current regime is mandated by the Constitution to guarantee access to basic needs such as food, education, water, and health, thus the President should come up with policies that would solve the economic crisis.

Raila also called for Kenya Kwanza to disown remarks made by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua claiming that Kenya was a private entity that hires individuals who voted for the government of the day.

"We remind Kenya Kwanza that the declaration by Rigathi Gachagua that Kenya is a private company, which has never been disowned by Willam Ruto, isolates, marginalizes, and treats several communities and regions in Kenya as second-class citizens. It has revived the question of a credible solution of the right to self-determination," Raila stated.

The opposition dismissed the issues contained in the Kenya Kwanza statement and stressed their agenda including the audit of the 2022 elections, the bipartisan reconstitution of IEBC and respect for the autonomy and independence of political parties.

Raila also highlighted that the issue of accountability and responsibility for the brutality and abuse of human rights of protestors must also be featured in the talks.

"It is our position that no party to these negotiations can and should determine for the other what to raise and what not to raise. 

"We will respect Kenya Kwanza’s right to bring all its issues to the table. Likewise, we expect Kenya Kwanza to have no objection to our priorities," Raila stated indicating that his camp will continue engaging with the public by holding assemblies.