Kimani Ichung'wah Asks Azimio To Reschedule Date For First Meeting, Demands It To Be In Public Space

• Majority leader Kimani Ichung'wah said the ruling alliance were not okay with the date suggested by Azimio for their first dialogue meeting
• The Kikuyu MP stated that they had planned to have their first meeting as the Kenya Kwanza delegation for a debrief on the talks
• Ichung'wah stated that they wanted the talks to be held in an open public space rather than Serena Hotel, Nairobi

Nairobi - Kenya Kwanza has replied to Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party's call for their first dialogue meeting on Monday, August 7.

In a statement on Friday, August 4, Majority leader Kimani Ichung'wah said the ruling alliance were not okay with the suggested date.

The lawmaker said they had planned to have their first meeting as the Kenya Kwanza delegation for a debrief to prepare for the talks.

He asked if the Wiper party leader-led Azimio team were willing to reschedule the meeting for Thursday, August 10

"While appreciating the urgency to embark on the talks, it is worth noting that having just constituted our team, we had a scheduled debrief on Monday with our team in order to prepare for the talks...We, therefore, seek your kind indulgence and propose that we schedule a joint first meeting on Thursday, August 10, at 10am," he said.

Kenya Kwanza checking on costs

The Kikuyu MP further stated that in line with their pledge to check on excessive borrowing that has previously led to debt accumulation and the need for austerity measures, he wants the meetings to be held at public venues such as County Hall or at the School of Government- Kabete.

Ichung'wah said that, in his view, the location would help them save on additional expenditure as opposed to the luxurious five-star Serena Hotel- Nairobi.

He reiterated that the discussion would be about Kenyans; hence an open public space would be the best place for the talks.

"In any case, since we are only discussing matters that concern the people of Kenya, we believe such matters should be in open public spaces," he added.

The MP added that he was confident that through the talks, they would restore the faith of Kenyans in the democratic process.

Azimio ready for talks

On Tuesday, August 1, Raila Odinga convened a Parliamentary Group meeting to deliberate on various matters pertinent to the faction, including the oncoming talks.

Raila reiterated the readiness of his side to meet with the government for dialogue.

He restated that the talks would be maintained within the precincts of the issues they earlier outlined.