The Azimio La Umoja boss Raila Odinga has released his statement at the parliamentary group meeting ahead of the dialogue with Kenya Kwanza Government.
In a statement to PG, Odinga says they launched investigations into the conduct and results of the 2022 election late last year.
The opposition Chief says they were prompted by a firm belief that the election was fraudulent and the results rigged.
“The investigation confirmed our fears. The election had been stolen. As fate or luck would have it, the result of our investigations were corroborated by the revelations of a whistleblower from within the IEBC. The election had been stolen.” Said Odinga
The Azimio noted that they launched the investigations against the backdrop of a worsening economic situation in the country.
After stealing the people’s mandate, Odinga accuses the Kenya Kwanza regime of embarking on rendering Kenyans economically impotent and desperate.
“The regime removed subsidies on basic commodities and raised taxes on those commodities. Immediately, unga, electricity, fuel, bus fare and school fees became unaffordable.” He said.
He says the Kenya Kwanza proceeded to launch a full assault on our democracy by buying MPs to give itself an unconditional majority in parliament. “It did not stop there.”
He accuses Kenya Kwanza of laying ground for
rigging the 2027 election by forcing out four IEBC commissioners then embarking on the process of single handedly reconstituting the commission to the exclusion of all other stakeholders.
“Kenya Kwanza did not stop there. It proceeded to turn Kenya into a one community regime in which key appointments went only to members of one community. They then proceeded to declare Kenya a private company in which some Kenyans have shares while others have none.
” It is against this backdrop that we launched consultations with the people of Kenya in January this year to figure out how to right the wrongs and secure our future as a country.”
The rallying call of the consultations was that, according to Odinga, they reject the 2022 election results and the illegitimate regime it produced.
“We demanded a complete audit of the IEBC servers. We called upon Kenyans to reject the punitive UDA policies that are making life unbearable and demanded the restoration of subsidies to unga, fuel, electricity and school fees.” Stated Odinga.
Azimio further called for the removal of the punitive taxes that have led to a steep rise in the cost basic goods like unga and fuel.
“We called for Reform and reconstitution of the IEBC in consultation with all players. We also called for an end to the politicization and commercialization of thencivil service and the sacking of civil servants on account of tribe and having served in the previous regime.” He said.
Odinga called for respect between the parties and Fidelity to the letter and spirit of multiparty democracy in parliament.
He says that the Kenya Kwanza responded to their calls with utter contempt and when all their appeals failed, they invoked Article 37 of Kenya Constitution which gives every person the right, peaceably and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket, and to present petitions to public authorities.
” We also invoked Article 2 of our Constitution which provides that “ All sovereign power belongs to the people of Kenya and shall be exercised only in accordance with this Constitution. The people may exercise their sovereign power
either directly or through their democratically elected representatives.”
Odinga recalled that they took to the streets but Kenya Kwanza followed them with there with guns, goons, water cannons and teargas.
“In those attacks, I survived an assassination attempt. Kalonzo Musyoka survived an assassination attempt. Innocent lives were lost. Property was destroyed. In a first in our country, an immediate former President, Uhuru Kenyatta had his farm attacked and destroyed.”
Odinga noted that last week, Kenya Kwanza was forced to face the reality that Azimio won’t be cowed and they won’t be intimidated by goons and guns.
Kenya Kwanza sent emissaries to Azimio to enter into a constitutional, open-ended, and binding dialogue with his administration to find a resolution to the issues that they had raised about the last year’s election and key governance and cost of living issues facing our country.
“Their call came in the middle of our engagements with other diverse group of Kenyans including religious leaders from all faiths about the crisis facing our country. They implored us to give dialogue, especially during the holy periods of Easter and Ramadhan.” Odinga noted.
It is in this context that Azimio agreed to call off the protests and give dialogue a chance.
Odinga said they were guided by the words of J.F. Kennedy who said… “Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate.”
He said Azimio go into these negotiations holding the firm belief that their cause is while their intentions are pure and their goal is patriotic.
“We go into these talks convinced that some issues, in particular lowering the price of food, is urgent, can’t wait and does not even need talks. Opening of the servers is not negotiable.”
“We agree that a balanced process spearheaded by members of parliament both sides and backed by experts is an appropriate way to proceed.”
He says the end product will then be presented to parliament for approval.
He remarked that they shall send their members to the select joint committee whose terms of reference shall be to:
(a) Recommend measures to lower the cost of unga, fuel, electricity and school fees.
(b) Conduct a review and forensic audit of the servers used by the IEBC before, during. and after the 2022 presidential election.
