ODM tells off police for rejecting NASA notification on prayers outside Supreme Court

NASA principals from left Musalia Mudavadi, Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula as they were being prayed for by Bishop Boniface Mosoti on Friday July 7th for the general elections ahead of them. [PHOTO: WILBERFORCE OKWIRI/Standard]

ODM has told off police for rejecting NASA notification to hold vigil outside Supreme Court for prayers concerning the presidential petition.

NASA has been pushing for prayers outside the Supreme Court on Sunday night as the full hearing of the presidential petition is set for Monday August 28th.

The petition at the Supreme Court seeks to challenge the declaration by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) of Uhuru Kenyatta as the re-elected President of Kenya.

At the same time, ODM has appealed to supporters in all corners of the nation to hold their prayers for justice, peace and good counsel on the part of the judges of the Supreme Court on Sunday 27th August.

Opposition leaders insist that one of the sites of these prayer gatherings is the neighborhood of the Supreme Court building.

The leaders were disappointed when they learnt that Nairobi County Police Commander Japheth Koome has rejected the NASA notification to hold vigil outside the Supreme Court.

“Our innocent expectations were that the police would provide security to the worshippers and ensure that the Sunday offertory was protected from those who might have ill intents,” read part of the ODM statement to newsrooms.

They argued that the Constitution of Kenya 2010 cannot give Koome powers of approving or rejecting notifications for public gatherings, adding that Police can only advise on security challenges and discuss with organizers how to deal with such challenges.

“It is even more incomprehensible that the police can purport to outlaw a prayer meeting on Sunday - a universally recognized day of worship for many religions, denominations and sects in Kenya. We cannot allow dark forces to roll back democratic gains Kenyans have fought and won in the last 25 years. We shall resist this creeping dictatorship.”