Raila’s call for mass action splits Azimo
Raila's call for mass action splits Azimo as the Jubilee party and KANU pulls out of the nationwide demonstrations
Raila’s call for mass action splits Azimo as the Jubilee party and KANU pulls out of the nationwide demonstrations.
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya chief Raila Odinga’s call for mass action has received a setback after key parties in the coalition rejected it.
Raila had reiterated his demands for protests on Friday, December 2, accusing President William Ruto’s administration of “using a machete to hack and mutilate the Constitution” and “resisting the seizure and emasculation of critical institutions.”
The rallies also serve to show support for four senior Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officials who are up for dismissal by a president-appointed panel.
Jubilee and Kanu, two parties in the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition, declared they would not attend the demonstrations organized by Mr. Odinga, while representatives of Wiper were ambiguous.
According to Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni, the party would not participate in the demonstrations that will begin on Wednesday at Kamukunji grounds in Nairobi.
Jubilee does not support anarchy. Our agenda does not include it, Kioni stated.
He did, however, add that Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition is a stronghold of the erstwhile ruling party.
“Jubilee is in Azimio, but that does not stop us from pushing our party’s agenda. We will support the government of the day and correct it on behalf of Kenyans,” Mr. Kioni said.
Kanu Secretary General Nick Salat also said that the party feels left out on key issues in the alliance and would not be part of the mass action.
“We will not support that. We would love to but our treatment in the coalition does not allow us to do that,” Salat said.
“We are looking at redefining our relationship with Azimio. When it comes to inclusivity, the coalition only considers the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and Wiper.”
He claimed that Kanu has scheduled a retreat in Nakuru with its elected leaders today, the focus of which will be the organization’s membership in Azimio.
The purpose of the meeting, according to Mr. Salat, is to address the question “which way Kanu?” because things are not going well.
As the coalition’s fissures deepen, Kanu and Jubilee’s withdrawal from the rallies is a blow to Azimio.
Leaders present at the Azimio Parliamentary Group meeting on Tuesday claimed that the call for widespread protest was causing division since it did not adequately express the wishes of the public to join them in the streets.
“We need to go to the people with a solid reason why we are on the street. The high cost of living and issues of GMO will get the attention of the people, not the four IEBC commissioners,” said an ODM lawmaker.
Wiper’s position is not clear but Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo said mass action is both a political and individual right, adding that anyone who believes in it should be allowed to participate.
“It’s not a Wiper action but mass action,” Dan Maanzo told the Saturday Nation.
Kitui Central MP Makali Mulu supported the call for demonstrations, terming the removal of the IEBC Commissioners as political.
“The right procedure was not followed. It was more of a political process than a legal one, and therefore we need to hit the streets,” Mulu said yesterday.
Azimio la Umoja One Kenya governors opposed the calls for mass action in a meeting with the coalition leadership last weekend.
The county bosses also defended their decision to work with the Kenya Kwanza administration, arguing that they need funds for development.
Addressing journalists after a meeting with city lawmakers allied to Azimio and other grassroots leaders at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation, Raila Odinga said he and his team would launch “pushback” against President Ruto’s “despotic” tendencies from Wednesday.
Dubbing the marches and rallies “public consultations”, Mr. Odinga said he would begin talking to Kenyans on the direction the country is taking.
“We announce the launch of the pushback we talked about a few days ago. On December 7, at the historic Kamukunji grounds in Nairobi, we will launch public consultations with the people of Kenya to brainstorm on the direction the country is taking,” he said.
“We wish to remind Ruto that this country has had a system like the one he is trying to reinvent. We fought that system. We brought down that system. We will do so to the one he is inventing. We will bring it down.”
Mr. Odinga also said he would hold another rally at the same venue on Jamhuri Day.
Also read,
Ruto goes after Justus Nyang’aya hours after resigning from IEBC
Ruto warns Kenyans against participating in Raila’s street protests
Raila announces plans to hold parallel Jamhuri Day event
Ruto backs plans to create a powerful office for Raila Odinga
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