Jubilee party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni on Thursday, September 21, walked out of the ongoing bipartisan talks at the Bomas of Kenya.
Kioni left the bipartisan talks meeting after a heated verbal exchange between him and the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) member of parliament Hassan Omar.
This was during the national dialogue committee meeting that brought together representatives from Kenya Kwanza and Azimio to seek solutions to issues around the 2022 post-election stalemate.
Speaking in an interview with Spice FM on Friday, September 22, Kioni noted that he differed sharply with Hassan Omar over his unwavering stance that the primary focus of the talks should be centered around lowering the cost of living for Kenyans.
“I said that I wouldn’t want to sit in a situation where I feel like we are conning Kenyans,” he said.
“What took us to Bomas and why people were killed was the cost of living. That’s why people were demonstrating,” he added.
The embattled Jubilee Party secretary-general explained that he was annoyed with the increased fuel prices in the country, with the price of kerosene going up by Ksh33.
He said it was unfortunate for the government to borrow Ksh890 between April and June, as well as adding more taxes to Kenyans who are struggling with the high cost of living.
“We were not even discussing police brutality, medical bills of people who were injured, and compensation for those killed,” he stated.
He accused the Kenya Kwanza government of not following the right legal procedures in amending the constitution, adding that some of the issues being discussed at the national dialogue committee require the input of all Kenyans through a referendum.
On the other hand, his critics and political analysts have maintained that Kioni and other Azimio leaders from Central Kenya were looking for an excuse to exit Azimio.
The analysts associated Kioni with Kamwene Leadership Forum, a political outfit in the Mount Kenya region that is gaining momentum.
However, speaking at another forum, Kioni clarified that Kamwene was just a forum for opposition leaders from Central Kenya to address their issues within Azimio.
