Former Ndaragwa MP Jeremiah Kioni has been picked to lead Azimio La Umoja Coalition’s legal and technical team in joint dialogue with Kenya Kwanza set for tomorrow (Wednesday) at Bomas.
The announcement was made Tuesday by Azimio leader Raila Odinga during a presser attended by the co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka and Martha Karua.
“We have established a technical and legal team to support our delegation during the dialogue. Accordingly, Hon. Jeremiah Kioni, the Secretary General of the Jubilee Party, will lead the Legal and Technical team in these talks” he said.
The team that met ahead of the scheduled talks, reaffirmed its commitment to talks.
“Regarding the forthcoming talks with Kenya Kwanza, we declare our readiness. We express our eagerness to reconvene at Bomas of Kenya, a place held sacred in the context of reform, change, and national reconciliation” the opposition leader who called off anti-government demos to give dialogue a chance said.
He urged Kenyans to ignore falsehoods being peddled about their decision to return to a fresh round of talks while exuding confidence in his team.
“We have conveyed to our delegation, and wish to communicate to all Kenyans, that engaging in sincere dialogue is not an act of surrender or weakness. Rather, it embodies strength and common sense” he explained.
“As a party, we firmly believe that our nation deserves harmony, not inertia. This conviction prompted us to suspend our protests, granting dialogue and peace an opportunity” he emphasized.
Raila said that the choice of the Azimio team underscores their recognition of the significance of these talks.
“Our choice of this team underscores our recognition of the significance of these talks. The team was assembled with a profound understanding that our nation is on an improper trajectory. Denying this reality would be delusive” he said.
The coalition at the same time told off the government side for allegedly propagating propaganda saying that the country deserves peace.
“ We urge Kenya Kwanza to cease propagating vitriol, for it will yield no results. Propaganda must now cease, as it has not resolved our problems in the past year and will not in the coming year. Our citizens and the global community are observing us, and we invite them to watch and hold us accountable” Raila said.
He appealed to his team to approach the talks with an open mind.
“We have tasked our delegation and technical teams, under the capable leadership of H.E. Kalonzo and Kioni, to approach these talks with courage and open minds. It requires both courage and open-mindedness to find common ground in times of conflict” he added.
Minority leader Opiyo Wandayi is the designated Deputy Chairman and spokesperson of the Azimio delegation.
Earlier talks between the opposition and government flopped over hardline stances.
