Lawmaker terms ongoing bipartisan talks as ‘a pursuit in futility’

Nyeri

Friday August 25, 2023

KNA by Samuel Maina

Mathirac MP Erick Wamumbi poured cold water on the ongoing bipartisan talks between Kenya Kwanza and Azimio la Umoja One Kenya alliance terming them a waste of time and public resources.

While addressing the media in Nyeri town yesterday, the first-time legislator also distanced himself from the terms of reference in the talks saying Kenyans have more pressing problems than discussing issues that only serve partisan political interests.

Wamumbi said he has always been opposed to any round table discussion to matters touching to running the country insisting the electorate has entrusted that mandate to President William Ruto since he is the duly elected leader.

“From the onset I have been against dialogue (with the opposition). What are we discussing about with people we defeated in the elections?” he posed.

“The issues on the table such as the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), the offices of Prime Cabinet Secretary, Official Opposition Leader and the reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) are the issues that are paramount for discussion.

So, calling Kalonzo (Musyoka) and others that we defeated on issues that can be discussed in Parliament to me is a waste of time. If I were Ichungwa (Kimani) I would not attend these talks,” he stated.

The lawmaker has therefore urged elected leaders to embark on challenges that touch on the lives of common people to enable them lead decent and dignified lives.

Wamumbi lauded the current government for initiating projects that are geared towards uplifting the lives of those at the bottom of the economic ladder by availing cheap farm inputs like fertilizers and improving physical infrastructures across the country.

“We need to move this country. We need to work for the people who elected us. I wish we were sitting down to discuss roads, about irrigation water, about housing programmes and about bringing down the cost of fertilizer for our farmers. But sitting down to discuss the official opposition leader cannot be beneficial to the common mwananchi,” he added.

On Monday, Tetu MP Geoffrey Wandeto had insisted the ongoing talks between Kenya Kwanza and Azimio la Umoja lawmakers must prioritise on issues that will foster national cohesion but not on dishing out positions to serve personal ends.

He said the current government has a lot of work in its hands and therefore any discussion must therefore be tailored in a manner that will ensure President Ruto is given the chance to deliver his pre-election pledges. 

Wandeto also maintained that the talks must similarly address the root cause of cyclic violent protests that erupt after every general election and come up with a lasting remedy to the problem.

“We have to be very, very careful what we discuss with our brothers from Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition). First of all the President has pronounced himself and even the opposition has agreed they are not looking for nusu mkate(share in government )but we are yet to see if they are genuine. We had an election, there is a government in place which has an agenda. We have to be careful not to be derailed,” he stated during Citizen's TV morning talk show. 

The National Dialogue Committee that is being co-chaired by Kalonzo and Kikuyu Ichung’wa held its third sitting at the Bomas of Kenya on Monday to assess the progress of the technical committee’s report.

Part of the contentious matters yet to be agreed upon include harmonization of issues to be discussed before formal talks can get underway.

The technical team has been mandated to iron out all the thorny issues before coming out with a common agenda which will be tabled before the committee tomorrow.

Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition has listed the cost of living, audit of the 2022 presidential election results and restructuring of the IEBC as part of its points for discussion.

On its part Kenya Kwanza while agreeing on the need to restructure IEBC wants to push for the implementation of two-thirds gender rule and entrenchment of NG-CDF into the constitution.

Courtesy ; K. N. A