- Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga insists on “justice” before talks with the government following deadly clashes.
- President William Ruto warns of unrest that could “destroy” the country.
- Despite Ruto’s concessions, rallies continue across the country.
Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga insisted on Sunday that “justice” was a prerequisite for any talks with the government following deadly clashes. President William Ruto warned that the unrest could “destroy” the country. Initially, peaceful rallies that began last month against planned tax hikes turned violent, with dozens killed after some protesters stormed parliament.
Ruto shelved his tax reform and proposed a national dialogue.
“Justice must come first before any talks,” said Odinga on Sunday, however. He demanded “compensation for every victim of police brutality” during the rallies. Despite Ruto’s concessions, rallies continue across the country. The opposition has called for new demonstrations next week.
“I want to promise it is going to stop. Enough is enough,” Ruto said on Sunday. On Thursday, a court suspended the police’s move to ban protests in the center of the capital, Nairobi.
Ruto vowed to stop “looters” and “killers” who he said “risk destroying our country.” “We want a peaceful, stable nation. And our issues are resolved using democratic means.” Odinga, 79, who lost out to Ruto in the 2022 presidential election, said there had to be a “national conversation” between different sectors of society.
Such discussions, he said in a post on X, “should come from various sectors including youth, government, religious leaders, health care professionals, lawyers and teachers.”
On Friday, Ruto unveiled a new partial cabinet to lead a “broad-based” government in an attempt to ease the worst crisis of his nearly two years in office. However, the main opposition coalition quickly dismissed the cabinet changes as “cosmetic” and insisted it would not join a government of national unity led by Ruto.
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