Raila Odinga’s proposal of a national conclave will not solve the crisis that Kenya is facing at the moment, this is according to Makueni Senator Dan Maanzo.

According to Senator Maanza, a national dialogue that brings together all stakeholders and different generations is a good proposal, but it will be difficult to implement the outcomes of the said dialogue.

Maanzo insists that the current crisis is solely based on the inability of the current government, under President William Ruto’s tutelage, to deliver on the promises it made to Kenyans in the run-up to then 2022 General Election.

“I think as much as we want to have a discussion and a conclave which ends up in a referendum, I don’t think we would have addressed the issues. The issues are more political, the country is unhappy with the politics of the day,” Maanzo said in an interview with Citizen TV on Tuesday, July 8 morning. “The country was unhappy with the Finance Bill 2024, but the National Assembly Majority Leader boasted that ‘although you demonstrated, we still sneaked in amendments of the finance bill with time’.”

The lawmaker further said that President Ruto’s government jas not yet tackled the grievances that made Kenyans to go on the streets last year. “Kenyans’ situation has not changed, there is so much corruption, I don’t know whether this conclave will address corruption.”

And what is the solution, according to Senator Maanzo?

“The best way to sort out this problem is not far away. First of all, the young people must register as Kenyans, most of them are not. They must acquire a National ID so that they may be able to register as voters, and in the next elections they should vote. We also need an IEBC that is balanced, that is free and fair, has no issues. Once Kenyans vote, they need to protect their votes. The final resolution to this crisis is a better government.”

In a press conference on Monday, July 7, Raila had acknoweldged that Kenyans were still grappling with economic hardship and human rights violations, and that a national conclave to chart a new path forn the country was the only solution.

According to Raila, the “intergenerational” conclave would gather the voices of all Kenyans (from different political, generational, and regional spectrum), in a bid to forge a united front as a country.