Sifuna: Why Azimio will 'return to the people'

Senator Sifuna claims that the government has already begun raising red flags ahead of the start of the talks.

Senator Sifuna argued on Citizen TV's Daybreak show on Thursday that the government has already begun to sideline some of the grievances Azimio wants addressed, rendering the talks pointless.

"The things that make us go back to the people is when we see statements that were being made on the grounds of State House people telling us "You must talk in parliament, you cannot discuss unga that is a non-issue," he said.

"If we are going to just sit there and drink tea and mandazi and not come up with concrete solutions to the cost of living then there is really no point for us to have that conversation"

Among the issues Azimio wants President Ruto to address are the inflated food, fuel and electricity prices and the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

These grievances, Sifuna argued, stand to be ignored during the talks since the IEBC matter is the only one being given interest.

"We will go back to the people because I can't in good conscience sit to discuss the IEBC with the situation prevailing with the urban poor of Nairobi, it would be better if we have a conversation around the cost of living," he said.

"There are no talks, we have told them that we want to talk about unga, they are saying there will be no talks about unga. We want to talk about the server they are saying we cannot, so which talks are you talking about," he added. 

"We cannot talk about IEBC if we have not talked about the problems of the people."

Sifuna, who also serves as the ODM Secretary General, claims that the government has no goodwill, intention, or seriousness.

This comes on the heels of Azimio's announcement on Tuesday that they will begin holding countrywide public barazas and town hall meetings.

Wycliffe Oparanya, Chairman of the Azimio Executive Council, stated that the forums will allow the coalition to explain to Kenyans their next steps in dealing with the country's issues.

The government and the opposition have since appointed seven-member teams to spearhead the conversations, even as both sides stand firm on the basis of the engagements.

While President William Ruto's administration insists on bipartisan engagement in Parliament, Raila Odinga's opposition wants a structured national engagement.