No blood will be shed, says Cord

With only hours to the Saba Saba rally on Monday, the main concern of many Kenyans is whether they will retire to bed and wake up on Tuesday to go about their business as usual.

Instances of some people travelling upcountry have been reported in some parts of the country despite assurances of security.

Some parents the Sunday Nation spoke to said they would not be sending their children to school tomorrow because they are worried about security.

The past rallies addressed by Cord leaders Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetang’ula have promised nothing less than fireworks, and the concern among Kenyans may be hinged on this, more so after the politicians said they would turn the country “inside out” in the cause of their agitation.

Cord has, however, assured the country that not a drop of blood will be shed as they continue with their push to have President Uhuru Kenyatta agree to have dialogue with them.

“Nobody should be scared; we are not staging a coup. And if you have been keen, you must have realised that we have made a point of notifying the police prior to all the rallies we have conducted. This means we are a law-abiding people who know the dangers of anarchy,” Senator James Orengo, the coalition’s main legal mind, told Sunday Nation.

GOOD GOVERNANCE

Mr Orengo asked Kenyans not to fall prey to the “scare-mongering tactics” he accused the government of employing.

“I know they are saying all sorts of things to the effect that we want to cause havoc; it is not true. All we want is good governance in this country and there is no going back on this,” Siaya senator said.

But even as the senator said that, another senior Cord insider told Sunday Nation that the opposition leadership is grappling with the idea that some of its overzealous supporters might resort to lawlessness.

“There is a strong concern within Cord that some few elements may want to cause chaos, which is why in one of our meetings, all the ward representatives and MPs have  been asked to talk to their supporters on the need to maintain calm,” the source said.

The source said that the Opposition has already crafted a post-Saba Saba strategy that they would use to keep their push for national dialogue alive.
“You will see activities tailored on the same concept as Saba Saba. Here, we are talking about Nane Nane (August 8) and Tisa Tisa (September 9) and many more until President Kenyatta agrees to talk,” said the source.

“We will insist on dialogue even after Monday. The fire will keep burning until the mission is accomplished.”

This means the country will not witness a thaw in the political temperatures any time soon.

Cord leadership maintains they are peace-loving Kenyans, accusing the government of planning to provoke them into violence, blame it on them and use it as an excuse to clamp down on them.

On Friday, Deputy President William Ruto warned the three Cord principals that they will be held responsible should anything nasty happen on Saba Saba day.

And with reports that State House intervened to stop a TNA faction led by former Embakasi MP Ferdinand Waititu and politician Moses Kuria from organising a parallel rally in the city, the government is not breathing easy about the planned rally.

The reasoning was that having two parallel rallies would lead to unnecessary clashes between Jubilee supporters and their Cord rivals, something that could have easily turned violent.

Jubilee leaders are banking on the hope that as soon as the status of conference on crimes against humanity charges facing President Kenyatta at The Hague begins next week, attention will switch from Cord activities to give them a breather.

Sunday Nation learnt the government is not sure of exactly what Mr Odinga is out to achieve with what Cord calls “consultative rallies” much as it sends out signals that it is not perturbed by the activities of the Opposition.

READY FOR ANY SITUATION

Interior Secretary Joseph Ole Lenku said the government was ready to deal with any situation that may arise from the rally.

“There is enough preparation in place, and Kenyans should not panic. We have more than 10, 000 police officers who will be keeping an eye on the rally,” he said.

On the fear among some Kenyans that things could get out of hand, the minister said Cord had no capacity to destabilise the country. “They would not dare do such a thing. Normal business will go on despite the meeting, and I urge Kenyans to avoid panic as this is just like any other rally they have witnessed before,” he said.

Asking citizens to ignore the statement by Mr Odinga that tomorrow would be a holiday, Mr Lenku asked them to continue with their business, warning the three Cord leaders that would be held accountable for anything nasty that happens during and after the rally.

The changing faces of the Saba Saba cast are the mosaic of politicians that have been on opposing political sides since Saba Saba rallies were initiated by veteran politicians Kenneth Matiba, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Charles Rubia and others 24 years ago to push for multiparty reforms, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

On Saturday, former MP Gitobu Imanyara dismissed Cord’s attempt to fashion the rally along the lines of the original Saba Saba in 1990.

“What saddens me is that unlike the original Saba Saba, this one does not reflect the ideals of the founders. Instead, of holding rallies countrywide, they are holding them only in areas where they have support,” said Mr Imanyara.

He argues that although he supports national dialogue, the security of the country requires leaders to have consensus.