Goons disrupt Kalonzo's speech at Azimio meeting

Wiper leader Kalonzo Msyoka speaks during the burial service of Henry Ongoma Oparanya at Emabole Primary School, Butere on July 13, 2024. [Benjamin Sakwa, Standard]

An Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Coalition parliamentary group meeting ended in disarray after it was invaded by goons, forcing Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka to cut short a press briefing. 

ODM leader Raila Odinga had already left the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation venue on Wednesday evening, with Kalonzo announcing that the former Prime Minister had gone to attend to an urgent matter before the meeting was disrupted by the youths. 

Also present during the meeting were DAP-K Party leader Eugene Wamalwa, PNU leader Peter Munya, ODM deputy party leader Wycliffe Oparanya and Jubilee Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni and legislators from their respective parties. 

The leaders were whisked away to safety, cutting short the press briefing where the Azimio Coalition leadership had declared they would not be party to the proposed broad-based talks while the ODM leadership -- which had held a Parliamentary Group meeting earlier -- had expressed support for the talks. 

Kalonzo said in the statement that the rights of the people of Kenya under Article 37 of the Constitution must be respected. 

“That for the avoidance of doubt the Azimio-OKA coalition will not be part of the proposed broad-based or any other dialogue with the Kenya Kwanza coalition,” said Kalonzo. 

He said the meeting considered the need for a people-driven National Constitutional Convention as a possible pathway towards resolution of the national crisis subject to consensus and concurrence of other stakeholders.

Kalonzo said Azimio had made several demands to the government, including the arrest of rogue police officers responsible for shootings, maiming and killing of peaceful demonstrators. 

“Azimio Coalition is seeking for the Immediate interdiction of the top police officers who presided over the atrocities, all the abducted Kenyans be unconditionally released and abductions to forthwith stop,” said Kalonzo. 

The coalition demanded compensation from the government of all those killed by the police during last year's protests and in the ongoing demos. 

“The coalition expresses its sympathy and condolences to those who lost their loved ones and the hundreds who were maimed, injured and/or had their properties destroyed during the protests,” said Kalonzo. 

The joint meeting of the Parliamentary Group and the National Executive Committee of the ODM had earlier endorsed the call by the Central Committee of the party during its meeting for a national conversation that would bring together all the people of Kenya. 

ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna said the meeting endorsed the position taken by the Central Committee for certain pre-conditions to be met prior to the talks. 

“These include compensation of all victims of police brutality during protests beginning from last year, apprehension of the rogue officers implicated in these incidents, a national amnesty for all those arrested or abducted, and the interdiction of Nairobi Area Police Boss Adamson Bungei, among others,” said Sifuna.