Raila Odinga's fresh demands to President Ruto rattles UDA

President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance has accused Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga of plotting to take advantage of the olive branch the head of state extended and dealing in bad faith.

In a statement, UDA Secretary General Cleophas Malala claimed that Odinga was planning to negotiate for “power through the back door”.

“Raila Odinga, in his statement, has confirmed our worst fears that Maadamano, was in fact not genuine from the onset but a blatant thirst and hunger for power through the back door,” the statement read in part.

Malala echoed the sentiments of many UDA elected leaders who support the bipartisan Parliamentary engagement proposed by President Ruto.

UDA Sec Gen Cleophas Malala addressing the media during a past briefing Pulse Live Kenya

Ruto allies have accused the former Prime Minister of proposing the creation of an accord, akin to the one entered into by Odinga and former President Mwai Kibaki in 2008.

“Raila Odunga is an exposed man desperate for power at whatever cost. How does he equate the current situation to the 2007/08 period and ask for power-sharing under a National Accord arrangement? Odinga, you lost the election.

·“Your demos have nothing to do with the cost of living but a means to bulldoze your way to power. Trust me you will not succeed,” Defence Cabinet Secretary Aden Duale said in a post.

These sentiments came after the Azimio leader said that President Ruto’s proposed engagement fell short of the opposition’s expectations.

READ: Raila accuses Ruto of snubbing 5 priority items in proposed talks

He said that in the proposed bipartisan engagement, Ruto only addressed one of the issues the coalition was advocating for; the recruitment of new Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commissioners.

Odinga reiterated his commitment to the envisaged dialogue between the parties, emphasizing the need for urgent action on the high cost of living.

He also noted that auditing the 2022 election servers and reforming the IEBC were necessary and urgent for future elections.

The opposition leader also proposed a team drawn from its ranks both in Parliament and outside the House to have a conversation at the national level.

"It is the resolution of this meeting that a purely parliamentary process may not serve the intended ends. Our suggestion is to have a conversation at the national level through a process akin to the 2008 National Accord. To this end the coalition proposes a team drawn from its ranks both in Parliament and outside Bunge," Odinga said.

Azimio Party leader Raila Odinga speaking during a media briefing on February 15, 2023 Pulse Live Kenya

Odinga stressed that all the issues they laid out in public carried equal weight, but the high cost of living must be addressed urgently.

The coalition resolved that the regime must take immediate steps to bring back the cost of unga to Sh100 as at the time of the election.

Finally, the coalition assured the people of Kenya that their eyes were firmly on the ball and that they would go back to the people as the earliest sign of lack of seriousness by the other side.