Jirongo: Why Raila’s call for national dialogue is unnecessary
Former politician Cyrus Jirongo has criticised Raila Odinga’s recent call for a national conclave as a misplaced and unnecessary initiative, arguing that the real issues facing Kenyans are already clear and do not require another round of dialogue.
Speaking during a morning show on K24 TV on Wednesday, July 16, 2025, Jirongo questioned the purpose of an intergenerational dialogue, stating that Kenyans have already voiced their frustrations.
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According to him, the demands from citizens are straightforward—stop overtaxing them and end public corruption.
Jirongo argued that there are no conflicting ideologies or philosophies requiring negotiation, as the grievances being raised are simple and rooted in everyday economic hardship. In his view, suggesting dialogue in such a context appears more like a distraction than a solution.
“When he comes out and says we want an intergenerational dialogue, to dialogue on what? When the answers to the problems we have are so obvious, where there are 2 different philosophies and you want to agree on a middle ground here, there are no divergent philosophies here. Kenyans are barely saying, ‘Don’t overtax us and steal our money,’” Jirongo said.
Broad-based govt
He also revisited Raila’s past engagement with the Kenya Kwanza administration through the Broad-Based Initiative, suggesting that although the initial intention may have been to stabilise the country, nothing tangible came out of it.
He pointed out that the proposed ten-point agenda from that agreement was never implemented, and instead, Raila’s involvement has undermined his credibility.
Jirongo concluded that the former prime minister may have been more focused on securing personal comfort than achieving any real national reform, implying that his recent proposal for a conclave is yet another attempt to regain relevance rather than address the core issues facing Kenyans.
“Initially, he could have been understood to think that the county was breaking apart and he wanted to hold it together, but he got into it, but there was no chance. He came with a 10-point agenda, but nothing was implemented. But he has sufficiently damaged himself with the stance he took; my interpretation was he was looking for comfort,” he added.
