Azimio La Umoja party leader, Raila Odinga, on Saturday, March 18, maintained that planned rallies will commence on Monday, March 20 as earlier communicated.
He, however, clarified that not all protesters will march to the State House as earlier directed. According to Odinga, Azimio will send a delegation to deliver a message to President William Ruto at State House as protests continue in Nairobi Central Business District (CBD).
Speaking in a joint interview with the media, Odinga further divulged that protesters who will not make it to Nairobi will present memoranda to their respective national government offices across the 47 counties.
“We shall send some people to give Ruto our message. State House is a public place (despite being protected), and if they allow our delegates to enter, so be it. If they don’t, they will leave the message at the door,” he stated.
“State House is a public property, the coalition will select a delegation of people who will represent the coalition at State House,” Odinga stated adding that he was not sure whether he would be part of the selected delegation.
He added that he was not sure whether Ruto would be at State House or his Harambee House office in Nairobi CBD.
The former Prime Minister confirmed that his party had secured a police permit to hold the demonstration in compliance with the law.
When asked about the next course of action after the Monday protests, Odinga insisted that the protests would continue adding that his Coalition would stop at nothing until the demands presented to Ruto’s government are met.
“After Monday we will see. We first want to let the universe that something is happening in Kenya,” the former Prime Minister stated in response to a question on whether he was ready to engage President Ruto in a dialogue.
In response to calls by a section of Kenyans calling for a truce between him and the President, Odinga affirmed that he was not interested in being part of the Ruto administration.
He stated that his coalition’s call for mass action was informed by their quest to pursue electoral justice after the demands to open election servers went unheard.
Odinga’s declaration came amid sustained warnings from leaders affiliated with President Ruto’s administration. Speaking on inn Kirinyaga County on Saturday, Majority Leader in the National Assembly Kimani Ichung’wah warned protestors against taking advantage to disrupt business activities in Nairobi.
Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua also addressed fears by some traders, assuring that the government had taken enough measures to ensure the security of all businesses during the demonstrations.
