No Cost Of Living: List Of 5 Issues Kenya Kwanza, Azimio Members Will Discuss In Fresh Talks

• The respective top brass of Azimio La Umoja and Kenya Kwanza have loosened their stances and agreed to dialogue
• Former Nigeria president Olusegun Obasanjo will steward the process in which the establishment of the office of the Opposition leader, among other issues, will be deliberated on
• The cost of living, which the Raila Odinga-led side capitalised on during the anti-government protests, has not been listed on the agenda

The leadership of Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Alliance and the Kenya Kwanza government have once again agreed to sit down and iron out some of the contentious issues that have put them at loggerheads for 10 months now.

Initially, the two factions had agreed to sort out the issues through a 10-member bipartisan committee co-chaired by Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo (Azimio) and his Tharaka counterpart George Murugara (Kenya Kwanza), but the talks collapsed almost instantly.

On Saturday, July 29, the leadership of the two teams separately issued statements confirming they had met under the chairmanship of former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and agreed to have a dialogue.

They consented to form a 10-member committee composed of five members each from Azimio La Umoja and Kenya Kwanza.

Four members will come from outside Parliament (two from each side), and the leaders of majority and minority from the National Assembly will also be included.

The remaining four slots will go to members of parliament (two from each side).

No cost of living

The committee agreed to discuss and address five key issues they considered pertinent.

Although Azimio has been pushing the government to lower the cost of living and scrap the controversial Finance Act, the two issues were conspicuously missing on the documents shared by both teams after the meeting.

• Reconstitution of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
• Implementation of 2/3 gender rule, c) Entrenchment of Constituency Development Fund,
• Establishment and the entrenchment of the Office of the Leader of the Opposition.
• Embedment of the Office of Prime Cabinet Secretary.

Whilst the government has outlined the issues to be deliberated on, the Opposition was yet to do that.

Its leader in the National Assembly Opiyo Wandayi said Wandayi said the terms of engagement and other details "shall be communicated in due course.".

Ruto's olive branch to Raila

A few days back, President William Ruto offered to meet with his longtime political adversary Raila Odinga for one-on-one talks.

Raila had claimed that Ruto snubbed his Tanzanian counterpart Samia Suluhu who had reportedly landed in the country to steward talks between them (Ruto and Raila).

In the meantime, the lieutenants of Ruto have been expressing reservations about the likelihood of him meeting with the Opposition leader.

They detest any possible power-sharing arrangement that may come out of their talks.

However, in the event they meet, Ruto's hardliner footsoldiers want their engagements to be made open to Kenyans.

"We want to make it easier for you, your excellency, you will not never need a big meeting like this. If you get two seats, your seat, his seat and a camera, then you project it live on TV. We shall be able to watch all over the country and ensure that the issues you are engaging on issues that touch on Kenya," said Kimani Ichung'wah, the leader of government business in the National Assembly.