• Sifuna revealed that Azimio has held peaceful demonstrations but are still being termed as violent people
• He stated that when the Nyamakima traders held protests against Chinese invasion, they were never branded
• Sifuna insisted that the dialogue depends on what you’re talking about
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has revealed that the Opposition wanted to have a dialogue with the Kenya Kwanza government.
Azimio leader Raila Odinga with Senator Edwin Sifuna.
Speaking on Tuesday, Sifuna said that the dialogue was to be centred around the three main issues that were pressing the opposition as well as Kenyans.
“We are the ones who wanted to have the conversations. Unfortunately, it is our brothers from the other side who chose to ignore,” he said.
He went ahead and explained that there is always room for dialogue as there is no situation where people cannot talk.
However, Sifuna insisted that the dialogue depends on what you’re talking about.
“There are certain matters we felt are very critical and that the Kenya Kwanza administration would address including the high cost of living and prices of food,” he said.
“We are doing this for ourselves but for the wananchi who cannot keep up with the high costs,” Sifuna added.
The Senator added that since the government ignored calls for dialogue, Azimio was left with no option but to express their frustrations through what the constitution has given them.
“Indeed the window for dialogue has closed because we were hoping we would have the conversation about the issues within the time frame we gave,” he said.
Going further, Sifuna explained that Azimio has held peaceful demonstrations but they are still being termed as violent people.
“We have had 21 including today’s rally in Nakuru and no injuries and cases of destruction of properties have been reported, they have been peaceful. Yet people continue to characterize us as people of violence. We understand the law and rights and we intend to use them,” he said.
The Senator stated that when the Nyamakima traders held protests against the Chinese invasion, they were never branded any name.
“How comes when it is our turn to protest we are characterized, misrepresented and misreported?” Sifuna posed.
He condemned the characterization of protests “maandamano “ by the opposition as anything other than exercising rights as per the constitution.
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