Kenya: Raila Odinga accepts the proposal for dialogue with the government

Candidate Raila Odinga addresses supporters in Nairobi on August 22, 2022. AFP - YASUYOSHI CHIBA

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The opposition leader renounces the anti-government demonstrations planned for Monday and agrees to dialogue with President William Ruto. For the past two weeks, he had been calling for marches twice a week. Demonstrations that had been punctuated by violence, especially in the capital Nairobi.

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With our correspondent in Nairobi, Florence Morice

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We are ready to talk, we can start tomorrow " says this Sunday evening Raila Odinga. At the beginning of the day, the opponent had further galvanized his troops, in view of the demonstration that was scheduled for Monday. Finally, tonight, change of course, time to give a chance to "dialogue".

Earlier, William Ruto had urged him to cancel his demonstrations and made him a proposal in exchange: to set up a bipartisan parliamentary commission, in other words composed of representatives of the government and the opposition and responsible for examining certain contentious points such as the composition of the electoral commission. This is indeed one of the bones of contention between the two camps, but it is not the only one.

And besides, Raila Odinga warns: he reserves the right to resume the protest if the upcoming dialogue process does not "bear fruit".

► Read also: Third demonstration in ten days of supporters of Raila Odinga in Kenya

The opponent says he expects concrete answers from William Ruto on the question of purchasing power, "at least", he says, "the restoration" of a series of aids and subsidies that were in place before he took power.

Raila Odinga also continues to claim that the presidential victory was stolen from him. However, on this point, William Ruto did not seem to leave the door open. He reiterated that the Supreme Court had already "definitively" decided this dispute last August.

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