The Kenya Kwanza bipartisan team has agreed to exclude Eldas MP Adan Keynan from talks and called on their Azimio counterparts to call off the anti-government mass protests slated to resume next week Tuesday.
Tharaka MP George Murugara, chair of the Kenya Kwanza bipartisan team, yesterday explained that the decision to heed Azimio's demand to drop Keynan from the talks was a strategic move to save the talks from imminent collapse.
"To demonstrate our commitment to the one process of a peaceful bipartisan engagement, we are ready to recuse the Hon Keynan from the process if the issue they consider to be in conflict with the Hon Keynan will be part of the formal process. Equally, we call on them to show goodwill and if the terms of reference include an issue that will conflict with the inclusion of the Hon Pkosing, to equally be ready to recuse him," said Murugara during a media brief in Parliament yesterday.
The Raila Odinga-led Azimio brigade had argued that the inclusion of Keynan- a member of Jubilee party which is an affiliate of the Azimio coalition in the talks as a representative of Kenya Kwanza was a slap in the face and an affront to the spirit of multiparty democracy.
He further called on the opposition to call off the street protests and instead engage in bipartisan talks so that they could amicably set a way forward.
"Our colleagues cannot have their cake and eat it at the same time. They have to choose between the route of peace or chaos. The route of bipartisan process or their campaign of violent chaos only aimed at blackmailing the Nation," he added.
"We, therefore, call on them to choose the route of bipartisan engagement. That we are ready to engage them but only if it is the only engagement we have. We cannot engage in both processes, one on the table and another in the streets."
Murugara further noted that he had written to his co-chair Otiende Amolo inviting him and the leadership of the house both in the minority and majority, for a discussion around the proposal to break the impasse at the earliest opportunity available to them.
"We wish to call on our friends to return to the table we engage but it has to be the table, not the streets. It has to be one process of peaceful bipartisan talks where we are confident as leaders we can resolve all issues brought forth by both teams," the MP further urged.
