Parallel Madaraka Day fete is ill-advised

It has been the tradition to hold important national day celebrations at Uhuru Park or Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi. This year’s Madaraka Day celebrations to be observed on Wednesday, will for the first time be held at the Afraha Stadium in Nakuru from where President Uhuru Kenyatta will address the nation.

This would not have drawn a lot of attention had it not been for CORD, the Opposition coalition, signaling it would hold a parallel rally at the Uhuru Park the same day. When not in use, the grounds is rented out on a first-come-first-served basis. A group, Prayers Without Boundaries Ministries, claims that it was first to book the venue. Despite that, CORD has vowed to hold its rally there setting the stage for confrontation.