Raila Odinga, the leader of the Azimio La Umoja Coalition Party, announced during a town hall meeting at Ufungamano House in Nairobi that the anti-government protests he had called off earlier this month will resume after the end of the Ramadhan season. Odinga stated that the protests would take place concurrently with the bipartisan engagement with the government, insisting that the public’s interest must come first.
The opposition leader emphasized that the bipartisan engagement should not solely happen in Parliament, as President William Ruto has suggested. Odinga referred to the Koffi Annan-led talks that resulted in the National Accord of 2008, noting that the outcome of the process was ratified despite happening in a hotel and not Parliament. Odinga accused the Ruto-led government of being a “rubberstamp” administration that approves anything and everything without considering the consequences.
The Azimio coalition announced on Tuesday that it would start organizing public barazas and town hall meetings across the nation to explain their next course of action regarding the country’s issues. The Thursday town hall meeting was attended by several Azimio leaders, including Martha Karua and Eugene Wamalwa.
Odinga reiterated his commitment to secure and safeguard fundamental gains for the people and the country through the bipartisan process and protests. He concluded by saying that “the people must not be left out or behind” and that they would continue to confront Goliath, regardless of the challenges they face.
