Good morning,
The high-stakes bipartisan talks between Azimio and Kenya Kwanza government officially kicked off on Monday with some teething issues even before the two opposing sides would set the agenda.
Despite anticipation that the Monday talks would set off on an agreed agenda, a meeting by an 8-member technical committee ahead of the talks failed to reach a consensus on the list of issues to be discussed by the committee.
The committee will now first co-opt the technical committee ahead of the resumption of talks on the 21st where the agenda will have been outlined.
Moreover, eyebrows have been raised about the presence of US Senator Chris Coons in the country given that he was key in the handshake agreement between retired President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga.
Meanwhile, Azimio has occasionally accused its counterpart of not portraying seriousness and lamented of lateness by the Kenya Kwanza side ahead of the talks.
Do you think the two political sides are taking the talks seriously? Does the presence of US Senator Chris Coons in the country imply a looming handshake between President Ruto and Raila Odinga?
Here are the stories making headlines on Opera News this morning:
Ruto Reinstates Fuel Subsidies in U-turn
The government on Monday reinstated fuel subsidies in a major U-turn as it moved to cushion consumers from skyrocketing pump prices following the arrival of a cheaper consignment last week that had spooked oil marketers.
The Energy regulator kept the prices of fuel unchanged in the latest review cycle after reintroducing the subsidies that would have seen pump prices cross the Sh200 mark.
Kindiki Cagey on Restoring Raila’s Security
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki is non-committal on when the security detail of Azimio leaders will be reinstated.
This even as the CS claimed Azimio leaders organised and engaged in illegal demonstrations which put their security details in direct conflict with the other law enforcement officers.