Azimio leader Raila Odinga has stated that President William has until Wednesday to put together his team for the bipartisan talks, or he will withdraw.
Speaking during a press conference, the Azimio leader stated that the president had become reluctant after agreeing to call off mass protests across the country and agreeing to the talks.
Raila explained that the Azimio team agreed to the talks in good faith because they believed the Kenya Kwanza team was serious about it.
However, they found that they were coerced into agreeing to the talks because international visitors were visiting the country.
“We acted in good faith to call off the demonstrations because Kenya Kwanza had approached us and said they were ready for talks and that they would remove Adan Keynan who they had put as one of their delegates.
“We knew that the real reason they were doing it was because they were expecting visitors who were coming into town and they did not want demonstrations at the time,” Raila stated.
Raila asked the Kenya kwanza coalition to find a way to put their team together by Wednesday, noting that the team kept telling them that some members were unavailable.
He insisted that the talks begin on Wednesday, May 10, 2023, or else they will consider other options.
“They are saying that members are not available and they don’t have a quorum to begin discussions.
“We have given them Monday and Tuesday. The talks must start on Wednesday. If they are not ready we will treat that agreement as cancelled and explore other options available to us,” Raila stated.
Earlier on May 3, the Kenya Kwanza bipartisan team replaced Eldas Member of Parliament Adan Keynan, who agreed to step down from the lineup.
Raila and his team were urged to consider the good gesture and return to the negotiating table.
