In summary
- Raila however says that failure by Ruto to heed to his demands will see him call for fresh demonstrations.
- Earlier on President Ruto had asked Raila to call off the protests heeding to one of his demands to have a properly constituted IEBC.
Azimio leader Raila Odinga has called off Monday demonstrations saying that President William Ruto has reached out to him for talks.
Raila says that Ruto’s acceptance to have a constitution guided conversation has led to the decision to call off the mass action.
Raila however says that failure by Ruto to heed to his demands will see him call for fresh demonstrations.
“In accepting the call for dialogue, we ask that all arrests and prosecutions related to our demonstrations be stopped with immediate effect,” said Raila.
“Mr Ruto has asked me and Azimio to enter into a constitutional open-ended and biding dialogue with his govt to find a resolution to the issues that we in Azimio have raised over the last year’s elections and key governance and cost of living issues facing our country,” he stated.
Earlier on President Ruto had asked Raila to call off the protests heeding to one of his demands to have a properly constituted IEBC.
“In these circumstances and in view of the recent events that led to the loss of lives and destruction of property in the demonstrations in the last two weeks, I urge my brother Raila Odinga and the opposition to call off the demonstrations and to give this bipartisan approach a chance for us to take the country forward,” Ruto stated.
Raila has however reiterated that Ruto must reinstate the four commissioners who resigned
“We do not want to see the four commissioners who had said no to be sacrificed. We want those commissioners to be reinstated so that we can be able to move in as a country in one and a united way,” said Raila.
Raila called off the mass action just two weeks after they started.
Several people have been killed and property worth millions of shillings destroyed during the protests.
