'Stop being cowards, behave like Luos!' Kalonzo tells Kambas

Musyoka, who spoke on Wednesday in Makueni during the burial of Machakos businessman and long-time ally Pius Musembi, said Kamba people should behave like the Luo if they wish to successfully back a presidential candidate in future.

“If you Kambas behaved like Luos, this seat we would clinch the following day. The cowardice that we displayed… If we were like Musembi, the whole nation would take notice. These things are never given, they are grabbed. You go for it!” he said.

“And if you want to quote the bible, Matthew 12:11: Since the days of John the Baptist, the kingdom of God suffers violence and the violent shall take it by force.”

In the former Vice President’s view, his tribe has for long been throwing their weight behind candidates from other communities, expecting the same will automatically be done for them in return, regardless of whether they support their own.

“Who are you waiting to come and say ‘we are returning the favour?’ There is no such thing when it comes to leadership of a nation, you go for it!” Kalonzo said.

Addressing former Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu who was in the audience, and has been notably absent from the protests, Kalonzo said: “My sister Charity, I want to see you next time, if I am demonstrating I want to see you there.”

After three days of protests whose main activity was in Nairobi and Kisumu, opposition leader Raila Odinga on Sunday called off the anti-government demonstrations and said he is ready for dialogue to address key issues they have with President William Ruto’s government.

It followed President Ruto’s appeal to Odinga hours prior, urging him to stop the demonstrations and instead consider talks towards a bipartisan parliamentary process in the recruitment of commissioners to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

The formation of a new electoral body is one of the issues the opposition had raised with President Ruto's administration. 

Kalonzo on Wednesday said the Azimio La Umoja coalition will be presenting its representatives in the bipartisan committee and called for “sincere” dialogue.

“We will give our list of the parliamentary team; we have no objection to the bipartisan team and we will give the list tomorrow. That shows we are for dialogue and the dialogue must be sincere,” he told mourners.