President Uhuru Kenyatta might not visit NASA leader Raila Odinga’s backyard anytime soon despite their unity deal, reports indicate.
Odinga, who on March 9, 2018, met his rival in the August 8, 2017, presidential race, had earlier indicated that the Jubilee Party leader will visit Kisumu after the truce.
However, fresh details are emerging that a section of the former prime minister’s allies is questioning Jubilee’s commitment to the dialogue deal between Odinga and President Kenyatta.
The fears emerged after Aden Duale, the National Assembly’s majority leader, said that the dialogue will not focus on electoral reforms and restructure the executive.
Duale, a close ally of the president and his deputy William Ruto, says the talks will focus on Jubilee’s big four development agenda.
Odinga’s allies in NASA – Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi, and Moses Wetangula – had raised queries over the dialogue deal, saying they were not consulted by their leader.
On Friday, a scheduled media briefing by Ambassador Martin Kimani and lawyer Paul Mwangi to outline the progress made so far was canceled without explanations.
Kimani and Mwangi were mandated by the president and Odinga to develop the structure to help realise their shared objectives during the surprise meeting at Harambee House.
“We want to see pronouncements from the Office of the President outlining practical steps to achieve cohesion and address the issues agreed upon. We know that just like Jakom (Odinga), the president means well. They just need to swing into action,” Odinga’s aide was quoted by The Nation while speaking on the slow progress of the talks.
Siaya Senator James Orengo, a close ally of Odinga, called on the president and the NASA co-principal to tame their lieutenants to ensure a meaningful dialogue.
“I know we also have some snakes on our side but President Kenyatta has more than us in Nasa,” he said, as quoted by The Nation.