Odinga’s supporters have taken to the streets in recent weeks, protesting against high living costs and alleged fraud in last year’s election.
However, the protests have been marred by violence, with at least three people killed, 400 wounded, and some businesses looted.
In response to Ruto’s suggestion of creating a bipartisan parliamentary committee to address the opposition’s concerns, according to Al Jazeera, Odinga announced on Sunday that he was ready for negotiations, describing the president’s statement as an olive branch and a “positive development”.
“We stand down our demonstrations for Monday…But in doing so, we want to emphasize that the right to assemble, to demonstrate, petition, and speak are iron-clad as provided for in our constitution,” Odinga said. However, he also emphasized that his party “reserve[s] the right to call for demonstrations should this process not bear fruit”. The opposition has been pushing for electoral commission reforms, including stronger assurances that the president cannot pack the body with supporters.
Ruto’s government has scrapped subsidies on fuel, maize, and electricity, which has led to a high cost of living for many Kenyans. Odinga pledged to engage the government on the issue, suggesting subsidies to reduce the cost of living. He also warned that if there was no meaningful engagement or response from Ruto, the protests would begin again in one week.
In 2007, post-election violence in Kenya left over 1,200 people dead, prompting religious groups to urge the government and opposition to engage in dialogue to prevent a similar situation from happening again. The international community has also expressed concern over the recent violence in Kenya, with the United States, United Kingdom, and African Union calling for a peaceful end to the chaos.
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