Quit race if not ready, Uhuru Kenyatta tells Raila Odinga in scathing attack

President Uhuru Kenyatta addresses a public rally at Uhuru Park in Nairobi. [Edward Kiplimo, Standard]

President Uhuru Kenyatta has accused the Opposition of scheming to drag the country through a crisis.

Speaking Sunday during a rally at Uhuru Park, Nairobi, the President said the decision by the Supreme Court to nullify his “clear” victory on questionable grounds was very painful, but he was no longer angry.

“Raila was shocked that we accepted the verdict of the court. He thought we are like him and would reject the decision,” he said.

President Kenyatta castigated Raila over his constant demands.

“The court ordered a repeat election and IEBC set a date. To our shock, Raila was the first to oppose that date, now he is giving conditions that unless this and that happens he will not take part,” Uhuru said.

Wasting time

“If he is not prepared, let him stop wasting Kenyans’ time so that we proceed to Kasarani (Stadium) and be sworn in. A country cannot be held at ransom by one man.”

Raila has complained that he was not consulted by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) in fixing the election date. He also threatened to boycott the poll if the electoral body does not sack some officials, who he claims bungled the August elections.

But Jubilee leaders termed the allegations as sideshows, saying he is not ready for a repeat poll because he cannot win. Also present at the rally was First Lady Margaret Kenyatta. She was invited by the Deputy President William Ruto to address the rally.

“I am urging Kenyans to please repeat the election and vote in a peaceful manner,” she said.

Also at the meeting were former MPs Fred Gumo (Westlands) and Reuben Ndolo (Makadara), who said that he was rigged out during the ODM primaries for the Makadara parliamentary seat.

Uhuru said Raila knew that he had lost the election and that was the reason he could not ask for a recount of the votes in his petition.

He told the Opposition leader to await a more resounding defeat next month.

The President asked his supporters to turn up in large numbers and demonstrate that their win was not a fluke.

“I am only asking you to turn up in your numbers and help me send Raila home. He cannot keep pulling us back when Kenyans have made their will known so clearly,” Uhuru said.

He also said national examinations calendar cannot be altered for the sake of the repeat poll, and said the tests will go on as planned “whether Raila likes it or not”.

“Our children will not suffer because of the interests of one man. The examination will go on as planned,” Uhuru said.

He laughed off the decision by NASA leaders to seek financial support from Kenyans to fund their campaigns, claiming they were relying on money from the coalition’s governors, who he accused of swindling the public.

Court was used

The President said the Nairobi county government now under Jubilee’s Mike Sonko has sealed corruption loopholes and is collecting Sh39 million a day, up from Sh7 million.

Ruto maintained Jubilee attack on the Supreme Court, insisting that they were unapologetic over their criticism of the highest court for “subverting the will of Kenyans.”

“We are telling the Supreme Court that we are watching, you cannot alter the will of Kenyans at the altar of some mundane mistakes made by IEBC. We are unapologetic about this because this court was used to subvert the will of Kenyans,” he said.

“Soon you should come to your senses and apologise to Kenyans. At the heart of every democracy is the decision that is made by its electorate.”

The Deputy President also told off the IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati over his memo to the Chief Executive, Ezra Chiloba, saying his running of affairs at the body was embarrassing.

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