Members of the Azimio in the bipartisan discussions have given an explanation for why they skipped a meeting last Tuesday that was attended by their Kenya Kwanza counterparts.
The key reason, according to Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo, was that the side failed to co-sign and submit letters addressed to the IEBC CEO and the chairwoman of the IEBC selection panel.
"We went there with clean hearts but they were not committed. We wrote letters but they refused to co-sign and that is where we realized they are taking us in rounds...thinking we are fools," Otiende said.
"I am a lawyer and I understand this that is why we informed our leader (Raila) about our decision to quit," he added.
Azimio requested in the letters that the hiring of commissioners is put on hold until the end of the negotiations and that IEBC CEO Marjan Hussein be given the go-ahead to keep the servers and their contents safe.
George Muragara, the co-chair of the committee, has said that some expectations are absurd and impossible to meet.
“We do not know why they are not coming back to the table because they had made several demands which were possibly not met according to them," he told the press.
Murugara said that should the Azimio faction decide to return to the negotiating table, they were still willing to hold discussions.
On May 31, Otiende sent a letter to Murugara suspending the negotiations indefinitely.
“In the circumstances, it is our considered opinion that the appropriate action is to adjourn the talks sine die, in accordance with Clause 36 of the Framework Agreement, which we hereby invoke,” it adds.
It adds, "We are withholding the issuance of a notice of dissolution under clause 38 of the framework agreement until you respond to the aforementioned concerns."
Otiende has concurrently issued a warning that until a consensus is reached over the selection process for the IEBC commissioners, there won't be any elections in the nation.
He claimed that the IEBC cannot operate without Kenyans.
The people will vehemently oppose the formation of an IEBC of Kenya Kwanza, he said. "Every polling station has polling agents, every constituency has an IEBC office, and every county also has an office," he stated.
The Star has heard that the commissioners are still being recruited.
Nelson Makanda, the chairman of the IEBC recruitment panel, claimed that his staff never stopped working on the exercise.
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