ODM, Jubilee claim city rally venue

ODM Nairobi chairman George Aladwa addresses journalists at Orange House in Nairobi on September 17, 2016 concerning their rally to be held at Masinde Muliro grounds in Huruma. Mr Aladwa asked ODM supporters to shun violence before and after the rally. PHOTO | ANTHONY OMUYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Addressing the Orange House press conference, ODM Deputy Party leader Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho said that all was set for their planned rally.
  • Police would not be drawn into stating which of the two groups would be allowed to hold their rally at the venue.

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) on Saturday sealed the Masinde Muliro grounds in Nairobi’s Huruma estate in a bid to block the rival Jubilee Party from accessing the venue for parallel rallies set for this afternoon.

When the Sunday Nation visited the site on Saturday, there were dozens of youth patrolling the grounds and erecting tents at the dais.

The youth frisked anybody who attempted to access the grounds and said that they were under instructions not to allow Mathare MP Steven Kariuki and his supporters to access the grounds.

“Where are you from? How do you just take pictures? Show us your cards right now,” the group of about 10 said as they surrounded our car.

Mr Kariuki, an ODM MP who recently defected to the Jubilee Party, has organised a parallel rally at the grounds this afternoon to “showcase” development projects initiated by the government in the area.

On Saturday, he said he will lead his supporters to the venue.

Earlier, while addressing a press conference at the party’s Orange House headquarters in Nairobi, ODM had said Jubilee supporters should not show up at the venue, which is in Mathare Constituency, as the opposition party insisted it was the first to book the grounds.

ODM has also scheduled a roadshow across the city before the rally.

“We are there and we will be there. We will see who has the majority support in Nairobi,” ODM Nairobi County branch chairman George Aladwa said.

But Mr Kariuki told the Sunday Nation that he will hold his rally at the venue.

He said that he will inspect all development projects in his constituency, a tour he said will end at the grounds for a rally.

“Trust me, I will be there (Masinde Muliro Grounds in Huruma) tomorrow. I will inspect all the grounds in Mathare and decide to hold my rally at one of them, even if it is Huruma,” he said.

Addressing the Orange House press conference, ODM Deputy Party leader Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho said that all was set for their planned rally.

“The journey to get our party leader, Raila Odinga, to State House has started and the rally tomorrow is part of that. There will be a peaceful roadshow and rally,” he said.

SHUN VIOLENCE
Police would not be drawn into stating which of the two groups would be allowed to hold their rally at the venue.

Nairobi County police commander Japheth Koome referred us to the Police Spokesman Charles Owino, who could not be reached for comment.

Another Police Spokesperson George Kinoti promised to respond later but had not done so as we went to press.

Starehe police boss Alice Kimeli had asked us to contact Mr Koome for comment.

But sources within the police revealed that the ODM brigade had booked the venue before Mr Kariuki and would be provided with security.

At Orange House, Mr Joho said the ODM rally will deliver two main messages, whose details he did not divulge.

He was accompanied by his Nairobi counterpart Evans Kidero and nominated Senator Elizabeth Ongoro.

Mr Aladwa, however, asked ODM supporters to shun violence before and after the rally.

“We want to ask the police to be there tomorrow for our security, because ODM haina vita na watu wa Jubilee (has no quarrel with Jubilee),” said Mr Aladwa.

The rally will be preceded by a roadshow from parts of Nairobi like Kawangware and Marikiti before converging at the Huruma venue.

“We want to make ODM strong in 2017. We want to have 30 governors, and in Nairobi have 14 out of 17 MPs and show the world who we are. Most importantly, we want our party leader in State House,” Dr Kidero told jubilant youth at the Orange House.

AWARENESS EVENT
In his letter dated September 11 addressed to Dr Kidero, Mr Joho said Sunday’s rally is in line with a commitment they made at their Mombasa meeting last Saturday to “re-energise and popularise our party leader’s bid for the Presidency in 2017”.

“This is to inform your good office of my intention to visit Nairobi City County for a delegates’ forum and series of roadshows culminating in a public rally in Mathare constituency on Sunday, September 18, 2016,” Mr Joho explained.

Mr Kariuki also wrote to the Inspector-General of Police Joseph Boinnet detailing his planned rally.

“The purpose of this letter is to inform your office of a planned development project inspection tour culminating in a mass civic education rally in our beloved Mathare constituency on Sunday, 18th September 2016,” Mr Kariuki wrote.

In the letter, Mr Kariuki argued that the tour will be to popularise the new Jubilee Party, the re-election vehicle for President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto.

“We will use the mass civic education rally to inform and enlighten them on the programmes we have in place to make Mathare and Kenya as a whole a better place for us all,” Mr Kariuki said in his letter to the IG.