Nairobi: In response to a request from President William Ruto, the head of the Kenyan opposition, Raila Odinga, cancelled planned anti-government demonstrations and declared that he was open to dialogue.
Three marches against high living expenses and alleged election fraud have drawn thousands of participants over the past two weeks. All have been marred by violence, which resulted in at least three fatalities, 400 injuries, and some business looting.
In response to Ruto's suggestion that they form a bipartisan parliamentary committee to address complaints about the electoral process, Odinga declared that he was cancelling the fourth rally.
The opposition leader, who has disputed Ruto’s victory in 2022, said he saw the president’s statement as an olive branch and a “positive development”.
“We stand down our demonstrations on April 3, 2023. But in doing so, we want to emphasise that the right to assemble, to demonstrate, petition, and speak are iron-clad as provided for in our constitution,” Odinga said in a press conference.
However, his party “reserve[s] the right to call for demonstrations should this process not bear fruit”, he said.
In addition to tighter guarantees that the president cannot cram the body with allies, the opposition has been pushing for changes to the electoral commission.