Kenya: Odinga Dismisses Call By Clergy for Dialogue Following Azimio Protests

Nairobi — Azimio La Umoja One Kenya has dismissed calls by a section of the clergy to call off the coalition's demonstrations and instead focus on dialogue.

The party leader Raila Odinga defended the protests saying they are aimed at seeking for the truth which is espoused in the Bible.

Quoting John 8:2 in the bible, Odinga insisted that the demonstrations are aimed at agitating for the truth of what unfolded in the August 9 general election.

"We want the truth by opening of the servers to allow for a forensic audit of the election results. We want tangible action to lower the cost of living," he said.

"We are want the reconstitution of the IEBC to be stopped and the reinstatement of IEBC commissioners and the ending of trivialization when it comes to appointments," Odinga added.

The Opposition Leader reiterated that they are not interested in a handshake with President William Ruto as alluded by his close allies.

Odinga emphasized that he cannot engage in a truce with a government which he termed as "illegitimate".

"This is an insult to the intelligence of Kenyans.We cannot and we will not participate in a handshake with an illegitimate regime, "he said.

The Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB) has asked President William Ruto to engage Azimio leader Raila Odinga in a dialogue to resolve the standoff for the sake of the country's peace.

The truce between the two leaders, they stated, will avert attempts to plunge the country into the risk of violence that will cripple the nation.

The bishops who opposed Odinga's call for mass action urged the former premier to avoid the route of demonstrations that saying dialogue is the best avenue to resolve their differences.

"We believe that dialogue can resolve this dangerous standoff. The two need to establish a common ground to address the ills facing the country and restore sanity we need in our country," said Archbishop Martin Kivuva.

"We plead and ask our President to follow through with his promise to sit with and listen to Mr Odinga and other leaders and come out with reasonable proposals to address the main plights in our country. We also invite Mr Odinga to accept dialogue for the good of the country," added the KCCB Chairperson.

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