Don't dialogue with Raila and Kalonzo - Uhuru told
Nasa threatened to swear-in Raila Odinga should President Uhuru fail to talk to him on electoral reforms.
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Dr Aukot, in his opinion piece published by a local daily, questioned the specialty with which Nasa leader holds to warranty dialogue, even as he lashed him for quitting the October 26 repeat polls.
"Self-appointed leaders"
“Why should Uhuru dialogue with NASA leader Raila Odinga and not Ekuru Aukot or Abduba Dida or Prof Michael Wainaina? What is so special with Raila that Uhuru must dialogue with him?” Dr Aukot poses.
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He added: “The guy abandoned the presidential rerun. We need to remove some people's nonsense of entitlement. I expect Uhuru’s administration to fix Kenyans' problems to isolate these self-appointed people who feel they are entitled.”
Dr Aukot cautioned President Uhuru against holding any talks with Mr Odinga, arguing that such a move ‘would weaken him’ a sentiment which sharply conflicts with Nasa co-principal Musalia Mudavadi, who held a view that President Kenyatta should not be too bossy to hold talks with Raila.
“We regret the return of suppression of democracy and the shrinking space for freedom of conscience, thought and expression as manifested in harassment of journalists, the emasculation of civil society and invasion of private space and violation of the individual by the State,” Musalia said in his end year statement.
Opposition threats
“The NASA leader has no basis on which to dialogue. On what basis does he want to dialogue with the President? If Uhuru accepts dialogue with Raila or any presidential candidate, he will weaken himself. He will be an extremely weak leader,” he said.
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Dr Aukot’s advice to Mr Kenyatta comes in the wake of heightened threats by the Opposition to swear-in Nasa leaders Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka – who returned recently from Germany – early this January.
Both Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka, who spoke at the home of late Kitui West MP Francis Nyenze’s home, maintained that the oath-taking ceremony was in the offing, should President Uhuru fail to dialogue on the electoral reforms and justice.
“I don’t want to hear stories of 2022; we are not yet done with 2017. I want to tell my brother Uhuru Kenyatta, if we are not going to talk about elections justice and reforms, then don’t blame us when Raila and I will be sworn-in,” Mr Musyoka cautioned adding that Nasa clinched power in the August 8 polls.
Country divided
“The truth is that the August elections were stolen and the country is deeply divided. Kenyans cannot, therefore, be expected to move on when ethnic hatred and political intolerance are at their worst. I am telling my brother Uhuru Kenyatta that if he abdicates the responsibility of uniting this nation, he should not blame Raila and Kalonzo when we say we will be sworn in. If he doesn’t want to dialogue on electoral reforms then we will be sworn in,” he said in a move which seemingly split up his party.
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Meanwhile, Dr Aukot has urged President to have a national outlook in the cabinet which is set to be unveiled in few weeks’ time.
Dr Aukot run for the presidency in 2017 but lost to President Uhuru Kenyatta.
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