‘They took us for a ride,’ Martha Karua Says On Bilateral Talks Report
NARC Kenya Party Leader Martha Karua criticized the National Dialogue Committee report, contending that the discussions proved unproductive and were a futile investment of time for the Kenyan people.
During an appearance on Citizen TV’s Tonight Show on Thursday, Karua strongly rebuked the Kenya Kwanza government, alleging that they deliberately hindered the talks from the outset and had no genuine intent to address the concerns raised by the Opposition.
Karua pointed to the eight-month duration of the negotiations, asserting that the administration led by President William Ruto was primarily focused on misleading Raila Odinga’s faction and had no intention of accommodating their demands.
Karua argued that crucial concerns raised by the Opposition, such as the cost of living, electoral justice, and the respect for multiparty democracy, remained unaddressed.
As a result, she asserted that the discussions cannot be deemed successful, given the failure to achieve progress on these key issues.
“The outcome of the engagement with the rogue KK regime, is they have not bored fruits. I think we have been taken into pole dancing which is endless spinning and nothing comes out of it,” Karua said.
“The duration of the talks is eight months; April to November. What have we gotten out of it, in my view, absolutely nothing because the three issues that we wanted to be addressed were cost of living, electoral justice (forensic audit) and respect of multiparty democracy.”
Karua further placed responsibility on the Kenya Kwanza government for the purported breakdown of the talks.
She contended that despite persistent advocacy for a reduction in the cost of living, the government was allegedly exacerbating the situation by raising the prices of essential commodities, thereby disregarding the hardships faced by the Kenyan people.
“From where I sit, the failure of the talks, and the failure of what people wanted, the blame squarely rests on Kenya Kwanza for they took us for a ride. For any talks to succeed, the party in power is the one that must show utmost goodwill because they are the ones being pushed to show concession of what people want,” she stated.
“Since then, the cost of living has gone up maybe twice, maybe thrice…while the talks were ongoing, the Finance Bill also came.”
She characterized the present administration as ‘rogue,’ emphasizing that President Ruto’s government was conducting essential state functions with complete disregard for the law and public sentiment.
This included actions such as the contentious Finance Act, where the administration was accused of ignoring public opinion.
“When you contempt against the constitution, the people who brought you to power and the will of the majority, you become a rogue regime,” she said on why she referred to the government as a rogue.
In Other News: Govt Makes U-turn Pledge To Redeem Portion Of Eurobond By December 31
‘They took us for a ride,’ Martha Karua Says On Bilateral Talks Report
