Petition filed to stop Ruto-Raila talks team at Bomas

Three Kenyans have filed a petition at the high court in Nairobi seeking to stop the ongoing National Dialogue committee talks at the Bomas of Kenya.

The national dialogue committee comprises members from President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza government and representatives from Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja coalition party.

Issa Elanyi Chamao, Patrick Karani Ekirapa, and Paul Ngweywo Kirui on Friday, September 29, told the court that the entire national dialogue process was unconstitutional and should be stopped.

National Dialogue Committee co-chairperson Kalonzo Musyoka and Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire make their way to the Bomas of Kenya, the venue of the bipartisan talks.

Through their lawyer Peter Wanyama, the three petitioners argued that ordinary Kenyans have not been involved in whatever was happening at Bomas.

According to them, only politicians and senior public figures have been given a chance to give their views to the dialogue team without taking into account what the ordinary citizens were going through.

“There was no public participation to enable ordinary Kenyans to understand and fully participate in the process.

“This is also evidenced by the way the Committee has restrictively framed the issues of concern without allowing room for other issues from Kenyans,” reads the petition.

In addition, the petitioners told the court that the government would spend approximately Ksh100 million in taxpayers’ money to facilitate the talks.

National talks co-chair Kalonzo Musyoka with Embu over Cecily Mbarire during the talks at the Bomas of Kenya. A petition has been filed in court seeking to stop the talks.

“Committee is already incurring public funds in its sittings, remuneration of the technical teams, consideration of the memoranda, conducting the public hearings and the compilation of the Report,” read part of the court documents.

The petitioners have also explained to the court that the dialogue committee was focussing on other issues instead of discussing the high cost of living that is affecting all Kenyans.

They insisted that the court should stop the talks at this time instead of allowing the committee to continue with a process that will be finally declared unconstitutional after wasting public resources.