NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 18 — Russian has called out a United Kingdom-led league offering to mediate the confrontation between the opposition and the government for meddling in Kenya’s internal affairs.
Russia made the comment on Tuesday while reacting to a statement by thirteen western nations including the United States, Canada and Australia asking both the government and the opposition to “table their concerns” to pave the way for talks.
“If it is not interference in internal affairs, what is it?” Russia’s mission in Nairobi posed.
The UK-led alliance, while asking for the peaceful resolution of the conflict between the Raila Odinga-led Azimio Coalition and President William Ruto’s administration urged parties to the conflict “to find constructive and peaceful solutions”.
The league including the Netherlands, Finland, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland and Ukraine made the statement even as government maintained its unwillingness to engage Odinga.
Top administration officials have branded the opposition leader as an anarchist having refused to concede defeat in the 2022 presidential election despite a Supreme Court verdict upholding the poll’s outcome.
Renewed protests
Odinga revived weekly protests to challenge President Ruto’s tax plan which entails an 8 per cent increment in VAT on fuel terming the measures as untenable.
He announced the protests, now scheduled to take place thrice a week, after his Azimio side bolted out of structured talks in Parliament that Ruto conceded to in April following another round of protests over the reconstitution of the electoral commission, IEBC.
A Selection Panel constituted in February to recruit new IEBC commissioners resumed the process in June after bipartisan talks Azimio and the government-leaning Kenya Kwanza side collapsed.
Talks between Azimio and Kenya Kwanza hit a snag after the government side declined to co-sign a letter it considered unlawful.
Tharaka MP George Murugara, co-chair of the bi-partisan team had termed Azimio’s demands as extra legal leading to a stalemate early June.
The Murugara-led camp issued an ultimatum saying the IEBC Selection Panel led by Nelson Makanda would proceed with its mandate if the opposition failed to engage.
Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo (Azimio) who co-chaired bi-partisan team with Murugara accused President Ruto’s troops of sabotaging talks.
