Nairobi — "I am not boarding," declared Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) leader Eugene Wamalwa on Tuesday, rejecting participation in the multi-sectoral national dialogue conference scheduled for July 15-20, 2024.
The six-day conference, spearheaded by President William Ruto and Azimio Leader Raila Odinga, aims to address Kenya's ongoing crisis.
Despite being a co-principal in the opposition Azimio coalition chaired by Raila, Wamalwa stated he would not join the discussions.
"I am not boarding!" he wrote on his X account moments after President Ruto announced the timeliness of the dialogue conference.
A 150-strong forum--featuring 50 youth members and 100 representatives from religious institutions, civil society, professional organizations, and political parties--will convene to chart a path out of Kenya's current crisis.
"We have had consultations and agreed that, to bring the country together to focus on the issues of priority, we will move ahead with the multisectoral forum," he said.
The dialogue, largely sparked by Gen Z-led mobilized protests lasting three weeks, Raila said, would be the ideal forum for charting the country's path forward.
"We have agreed to give the people an opportunity to be heard and to articulate the grievances that are ailing our country so that a lasting solution can be found," he said.
Wamalwa has been a vocal critic of President Ruto and Raila's dialogue initiatives from the beginning.
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His dissent was evident early on when he declined to sign the final report of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO), where he served as a representative of the opposition.
NADCO was founded to foster dialogue, and consensus, and propose constitutional, legal, and policy reforms addressing critical Kenyan concerns.
Its inception followed talks initiated by President Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila after violent protests from March to July 2023.
The planned dialogue conference faces opposition, with NARC-Kenya Party leader Martha Karua also rejecting it.
In a statement on her X account, Karua labeled the proposed talks a "trap" and cautioned that the process might be hijacked by the political elite seeking to exploit Gen Z's reform calls for personal gain.
"I agree with those who say Action Now on the clear and attainable demands of the GenZ to enhance accountability and make the state work for the masses rather than for a handful of elites," Karua said.
