Raila to kick off fresh protests with Kibra rally

Opposition leader Raila Odinga is scheduled to hold a rally tomorrow to set the stage for the second round of mass protests beginning Tuesday next week following a deadlock in the bipartisan parliamentary talks.

Raila, who has been out of the country on personal matters, is expected to address a rally at Kamukunji Grounds, Kibra constituency, when he arrives in the country tomorrow morning.

In a statement yesterday, Leader of Minority in the National Assembly Opiyo Wandayi said the Azimio coalition would accord Raila a grand welcome upon his arrival at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) and later join him in a procession to Kamukunji Grounds, where he is expected to address the rally.

The event is seen as a dress rehearsal for the next round of protests to push the government to act on several demands, including lowering the cost of living and opening of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) servers.

People’s Baraza

Azimio wants food and fuel subsidies scrapped by President William Ruto’s administration restored. The administration said the subsidies were only beneficial to cartels.

“On Friday, 28th April 2023, the Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga will return to the country from his brief stay abroad. As a party, we are gearing up to accord him a grand welcome on arrival at the JKIA, then join him in a grand procession to the People’s Baraza at Kamukunji Grounds, Kibra Constituency, on the same day. The Rt. Hon. Odinga will address the nation at the said meeting. The Kibra People’s Baraza will also set the stage for the peaceful mass action that is set to resume in Nairobi on 2nd May 2023, as earlier announced,” said Wandayi.

He added: “We appeal to all supporters of our quest for a just, fair and democratic nation that prioritises its citizens, to turn up in large numbers and welcome Rt. Hon. Odinga home and attend the Kibra rally. We further appeal to everyone attending the twin events to maintain peace and order as we have done in the past.”

Wandayi’s statement comes a day after Azimio National Executive Council chairman Wycliffe Oparanya announced that the Opposition outfit would resume weekly protests next Tuesday, citing lack of commitment to the bipartisan talks by the government’s side.

“We have set the date on Tuesday to excuse workers who shall be celebrating Labour Day on Monday,” said Oparanya.

Crowd control

A notice signed by Oparanya and addressed to the OCS, Central Police station in Nairobi, states that the Tuesday procession will culminate in the submission of a written petition to Harambee House.

“In the course of the said meeting/procession on the 2nd May 2023, we intend to submit a written petition to Harambee House, Nairobi,” Oparanya states.

“The meetings/procession will take place in the major streets of Moi Avenue, Kenyatta Avenue, Haile Selassie Avenue and Harambee Avenue that fall within your jurisdiction from dawn to dusk i.e from six O’clock in the morning to six o’clock in the afternoon,” the notice adds.

“For the avoidance of doubt, this is not an application for permission as none is contemplated under Article 37 of the Constitution,” states the notice, asking the OCS to deploy enough security personnel to guarantee security to the attendees and exercise crowd control.

The plan to hold the protests in Nairobi is likely to put the Azimio team on a collision course with the police who have previously thwarted attempts by Raila and his brigade to access the city centre.

The bipartisan talks collapsed after the opposition team suspended its participation to protest the inclusion of Eldas MP Adan Keynan in the committee as he belongs to Jubilee Party which is an affiliate party of Azimio. The committee’s co-chair Otiende Amollo said they will not engage in the talks until the matter is resolved.

The Kenya Kwanza side has also protested the inclusion of Pokot South counterpart David Pkosing in the talks saying his party is an affiliate party of Kenya Kwanza.

But in a statement released last evening the Registrar of Political Parties Ann Nderitu, clarified that Kenya Union Party and the Jubilee Party have no coalition agreements with Kenya Kwanza Coalition thus affirming the argument by the opposition that the parties are still bona fide members of the Azimio Coalition.

Nderitu’s statement follows a letter from Wandayi regarding clarification of the status of the coalition agreement involving KUP, Jubilee and Kenya Kwanza.

Reads the statement: “Reference is made to the letter received on 25th April, 2023 regarding the status of coalition agreement between Kenya Union Party, Jubilee Party and Kenya Kwanza Coalition. This Office has no official record of any coalition agreement that involves Kenya Union Party, Jubilee Party and Kenya Kwanza Coalition.