Raila says oath must take place, invites supporters to Nairobi

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has vowed to push on with his swearing-in at the end of this month.

He, at the same time, accused President Uhuru Kenyatta of exhibiting dictatorial tendencies by taking control of the National Police Service Commission.

The National Super Alliance (NASA) leader also warned that there will be no need to hold any future elections, including in 2022, if the current electoral dispute is not resolved.

He urged his supporters to travel to Nairobi in their thousands on January 29 in readiness for the swearing-in ceremony the next day.

Real results

"We must make sure that this is the last time elections are stolen in Kenya. We must ensure that no regime engineers theft of votes in our country," he said adding that Kenyans will soon know the real results of the August 8, 2017, elections which he insists he won.

And NASA co-principal Kalonzo Musyoka warned that Uhuru has one week to open discussions with Raila.

He claimed the nation could tumble into strife if Uhuru does not allow talks to resolve the current stalemate.

A section of the crowd shouted that "there is no room for negotiations" but the former VP added that Jubilee should be given the last chance for talks to avert a disaster.

ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi claimed the electoral commission was preparing an electoral boundary review process before resolving the current crisis.

Musalia claimed IEBC was preparing to award more electoral districts to Jubilee under the current circumstances.

Raila told his supporters at Uhuru Gardens in Mombasa yesterday that President Kenyatta had tried to water down the 2010 Constitution, through parliamentary legislation and policies, to arrogate himself powers to hire and fire police officers and also use the service to intimidate and harass his critics.

Raila and other NASA co-principals, together with Mombasa Governor Hassan Ali Joho, later addressed a rally in Changamwe.

“The Constitution provides for an independent National Police Service Commission but Uhuru changed it through Parliament when he was faced with the dilemma of firing former Deputy Inspector General of Police Grace Kaindi and is now controlling the service,” he said.

Raila, who addressed the People’s Assembly, was flanked by Kalonzo, Mudavadi, Joho and a host of NASA politicians.

He announced that his swearing-in would go on as planned and asked his supporters to get ready for whatever consequences from the Jubilee regime.

“The day of reckoning is drawing closer. The trumpet will sound and I urge you to be prepared to defend democracy and end the culture of vote stealing. Jubilee government is trying to take us back to Egypty. Are you ready?” Raila posed, to which his supporters answered in the affirmative.

He said he was going round the country to seek people’s support before being sworn in.

Kalonzo insisted NASA’s victory was stolen and Kenyans should not be intimidated into recognising the Jubilee leadership.

Withdraw cases

He asked ODM petitioners against Wiper legislators to withdraw court cases in order to promote NASA unity.

Mombasa Senator Mohamed Faki read out a declaration of the People’s Assembly and Coast leaders recognising Raila’s alleged win on August 8.

In the declaration, Faki said Coast people support Raila’s swearing-in even as they also push for self-determination "due to historical injustices and marginalisation in employment and distribution of resources.

The declaration also opposed Government plan to relocate some Mombasa port-related services to Naivasha and elsewhere, saying it would deny locals jobs.

Faki said they had also opposed the deployment of senior police officers by the President instead of the National Police Service Commission.