There is nothing to be done, for now. The government opposition in Kenya does not want to know about participating in the pacification process proposed by the majority, through a bipartisan parliamentary commission, and has consequently announced the resumption of street protests for next week, after the end of the Muslims' holy month, Ramadan.
Other difficult and unedifying moments are therefore in the offing, as well as dangerous because of possible clashes between the police and fanatics who, rather than protesting politically, take advantage of the situation to vent their frustrations, given above all by the misery and degradation for which they are often not responsible. It will therefore presumably be tension in the capital's slums and in the suburbs of the Lake Victoria region, the opposition's stronghold. In the previous days of violent protests before Easter, two university students and a police officer were killed, more than 150 injured. Several public and private properties and two places of worship were destroyed.
The 90-day talks between the two factions were supposed to start yesterday, but the Azimio La Umoja alliance, headed by its leader Raila Odinga, announced that it has no intention of sitting at an institutional table set up by members of the parliamentary majority.
According to one of Odinga's main allies, Wiper party founder and former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, the opponents decided on the manner and timing of the talks without informing the other party, showing little respect and bad faith,
Musyoka reiterated that Azimio will remain firm on its demands, without letting the talks avoid addressing the issues at stake, namely the reforms of the electoral law and its commission, inflation and the caravan.
"We remain committed to an extra-parliamentary dialogue that is transparent, honest, meaningful and bipartisan in conception and execution," the Wiper leader added. Protests in Kenya before Easter left three people dead and over 150 injured, plus the devastation of dozens of public and private properties and two places of worship.