Why Raila Odinga's Azimio Coalition called off its planned Thursday protests

In a sudden turn of events, the leadership of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition decided to once again suspend the mass protests that were previously planned to resume on Thursday.

The decision came in response to Kenya Kwanza's positive response to one of the coalition's key demands, thereby prompting a reevaluation of the ongoing mass action.

"This evening, the leadership of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party met and agreed to once more suspend the mass protests that we had earlier scheduled to continue tomorrow," Azimio said.

"The coalition took this step following the decision by Kenya Kwanza to accede to one of our demands that informed the resumption of mass action."

Rather than proceeding with the scheduled protests, the coalition has decided to gather its seven-member delegation to engage in further discussions with the bipartisan committee.

The purpose of this meeting is to receive fresh instructions that will shape the coalition's future engagement with the Kenya Kwanza side.

"Instead of holding the protests, we have summoned our seven member delegation to the bipartisan committee for fresh instructions to inform further engagement with the Kenya Kwanza side," Azimio said.

Expressing heartfelt appreciation, the party extended its deep gratitude to all Kenyans who have passionately taken part in the demonstrations.

However, the party reiterated that they will not hesitate to resume mass action should they encounter any indications of a lack of good faith and sincerity on the part of Kenya Kwanza.

"We also wish to reiterate that we will not hesitate to resume mass action at the slightest indication of lack of good will and honesty on Kenya Kwanza side," Azimio reiterated.

The suspension of protests should be viewed as a temporary measure, providing an opportunity for dialogue and negotiation to take place.