The latest threat by ODM that it will stage street protests if parliament does not meet in a week to enact into law proposals made at the Annan-led mediation talks could not have come at a worse time. The country still hangs on the edge following flawed elections last December that resulted in the killing of over 1000 innocent Kenyans and the displacement of hundreds of thousands. Taking hard-line positions like this is not good for the talks. ODM should find a better way of coercing PNU into an agreement than risking the lives of more Kenyans.
I think ODM and PNU should give the talks a chance and stop issuing ultimatums. The hard-line brinkmanship exhibited by the voluble foot soldiers on both sides of the aisle is bad for the country. The ODM leadership and PNU operatives like Hon. Martha Karua, Moses Wetangula and Amos Kimunya should realise that Kenya is bigger than any one individual. The country needs reconciliation and humility more than the chest thumping that we continue to see from these politicians.
The fact of the matter is that as things stand, neither PNU nor ODM can govern the country effectively on its own. That the December elections were seriously flawed is no longer a bone of contention. Juja, Maragua (PNU) and parts of Nyanza (ODM) are proof of the fact.
Right now what the country needs is a negotiated settlement with some power sharing, constitutional changes and then an election in a few years. This is the least that the Martha Karuas and Peter Nyong’os of Kenya can do for their country. We can’t afford to stall the process of economic growth and modernization because of tribal squabbles. Kenyans should not be denied a chance to realise their dreams and ambitions because of a few greedy, power hungry politicians.
So to ODM and PNU: Share power. Build roads. Make the markets more efficient. Provide education and healthcare. And while you are at it show some basic decency – less kleptocracy, tribalism and corruption. You owe this to Kenyans and to Africans. Kenyans cannot afford another dark decade like we did in the 80s under Moi obduracy and thievery.
The world is watching. Kenyans are watching too, some dying, some displaced and some apathetic.
kenopalo.com 
One question. Do you believe PNU is going to voluntarily back down even an inch without further pressure? What do you suggest happens now that they show (expected) signs of pulling out of the negotiations (or letting it drag on for the rest of the year)? Parliament is not going to meet any time soon if Kibaki has his way. And I will not be surprised if one or two more ODM MP’s have ‘car accidents’, or are victims of ‘violent robberies’ or god-forbid another ‘love-triangle’ in the near future. So your point is ODM should back down. What happens after that? Status quo. A solution that is ‘within the current constitution’?
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I completely agree with you John. We cannot afford to let the status quo prevail. But I just think that both sides should tone down the rhetoric and try to be nice with each other instead of talking to each other and issuing threats. Karua will not back down, ODM wants to go back to the streets. While they are at it, innocent Kenyans will die. I think we should demand civility from both sides.
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