NASA leader Raila Odinga at Okoa Kenya offices in Nairobi on August 16, 2017. [Photo: The Star]Western envoys, including Robert Godec (United States), Nic Hailey (United Kingdom) and Jutta Frasch (Germany) are among the top foreign diplomats who are said to have exerted pressure on Nasa leader Raila Odinga to call off his controversial swearing-in ceremony slotted for Tuesday.The diplomats, according to Daily Nation, are pushing for talks between Nasa and Jubilee to end a political stalemate which is in its fourth month now.Sources within the NASA coalition are said to have also expressed concern that, already, tens of people have been killed in protests since the August 8 elections, and that the coalition was being linked to violence, the paper adds.The decision to abort the ceremony which the Nation says was supposed to be held at Tononoka grounds in Mombasa, was also meant to avoid any confrontations and show the world that NASA was pushing for reforms without causing chaos.“It was meant to send a signal to the world that we are not unreasonable people, and to show that Nasa is not made up of anarchists. A lot of people have died,” said a member of the organising committee who sought anonymity, as quoted by the Nation.NASA now hopes that Western diplomats, who played a big role in the about-turn, will exert pressure on President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto to hold dialogue with the opposition. President Kenyatta has, however, ruled out any talks. A member in the organising committee tasked with preparing the modalities for the launch of the people’s assembly, however, said that the committee felt wasted.“I feel lost because all the work we have been doing here has come to naught,” he told the Nation.The Nasa organising committee has, among others, Dr David Ndii, ODM CEO Oduor Ong’wen, Wiper CEO Jared Siso, city lawyer Koitamet Ole Kina, Ms Hamida Kibwana, and former nominated Senator Judith Sijeny.

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