Venue hitch hits Raila oath plans as Nasa locked out of Uhuru Park

A church and a group posing as the Nairobi business community have applied to use the city’s Uhuru Park on January 30 — the grounds where the National Super Alliance plans to swear-in opposition leader Raila Odinga as the people’s president.

This came as Mr Odinga and his co-principals Kalonzo Musyoka and Musalia Mudavadi upped the pressure on the Jubilee administration to embrace dialogue, declaring that they will go ahead with the ceremony if President Uhuru Kenyatta does not start talks with them this week.

They also used the launch of the Mombasa People’s Assembly at Uhuru Gardens  to warn Western powers to keep off the country’s affairs.

An official of the Nairobi County said they have received two applications for the venue on January 30, the date of Mr Odinga’s swearing in.

He said the church and the business community are required to pay for the requisite fee today ahead of their meeting.

RECEIVED REQUESTS

“We have received requests from the Nairobi business community and a church and we expect the payment to be done on Monday,” said the source.

Mr Wilfred Kamau, the chairman of the Nairobi Business Community, said they have been given the go-ahead by the Nairobi County Government to hold a free medical camp at Uhuru Park on January 30.

The camp is targeted at street boys who wish to get circumcised and they will not be charged for the minor surgery, he said.

“We have written to the county government and we are actually supposed to pay Sh250,000 for the venue tomorrow, January 22. Nasa will have to get another ground if they have an event the same day. We are using Uhuru Park that day” said Mr Kamau on the telephone.

In Mombasa, Nasa leaders insisted they won the August 8 election but their votes were stolen in favour of President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto. They said their swearing-in ceremony plans had received the backing of six Coast counties.

STRONGHOLDS

A declaration read by Mombasa Senator Mohammed Faki stated that the six coast counties which are regarded as key Nasa strongholds do not recognize Jubilee administration and Uhuru Kenyatta’s presidency.

The leaders further vowed to continue to push for coast secession to end years of marginalization, plundering of the region’s resources, lack of jobs and economic oppression. Opposition leaders from Mombasa, Kwale, Kilifi, Tana River, Lamu and Taita Taveta were asked to mobilise the public to attend the ceremony.

Mr Faki said Coast recognized Mr Odinga as the president and that the region’s county assemblies will continue taking part in people’s assemblies to promote democracy.

Urging Kenyans to rise up against Jubilee leadership to ensure electoral justice, Mr Odinga accused President Kenyatta and Mr Ruto of taking the country back to the dark days of single party dictatorship through frequent amendments to the constitution.
Mr Odinga cited the recent appointment of deputy Inspector Generals of Police and Directorate of Criminal Investigations boss as instances where the Head of State has usurped the powers of the National Police Commission and violated the Constitution.

NEW CONSTITUTION
“These Jubilee leaders are the same people who were against the new Constitution that is why they cannot respect it. That is why you have been seeing many attempts to change it through parliament,” said Mr Odinga.

He added: “Kenyans should reject Uhuru and Ruto’s bid to take the country back. They want to take us back to Egypt. That is why we said we want to go to Canaan.”

Mr Odinga said Nasa will hold other rallies in Suswa in Narok, Migori and Kisii before the oath ceremony. The former PM welcomed his installation as a Kaya elder, saying the spear he was given symbolised leadership.

Mr Odinga said they will ensure no elections are held in 2022 unless the dispute over last year’s polls and electoral injustice is resolved.

“There will be no elections in 2022 if 2017 issue will not have been resolved,” said Mr  Odinga.

“Attorney General Githu Muigai said that the swearing in is treason, others said I will be killed, hanged for life or get life imprisonment. But I want them to know our people have been killed by the government and another life lost is nothing. I am ready to be sworn in whether they like it or not,” Mr Odinga said.

SUPREME COURT

Mr Musyoka said the fact that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission had failed to open the server for the transmission of the results following the Supreme Court order showed the August polls were rigged.

He praised Coast residents for voting for Nasa in the first round and heeding the coalition’s call to boycott the October 26 repeat poll.

The former VP warned that the country was gradually moving towards a conflict sparked by the Jubilee government and urged President Kenyatta to hold talks with Mr Odinga within a week to avert a civil war.

“This country is headed to a civil war and I am telling Uhuru: If you don’t call Raila in the next one week, things will go bad. I know am being very unpopular with this,” he said and accused Jubilee of being arrogant and ignorant not to see the divisions among Kenyans.

INTERVENTION

Mr Musyoka said the country does not need the intervention of Western envoys and asked the US embassy to keep off Kenyans affairs.

“The American ambassador should first bring together their Government which is facing a shutdown. The Americans are demonstrating each day because of lack of faith in it. People worldwide are crying for freedom, truth, justice and mutual communication,” he said.

 —Additional reporting by Lilian Mutavi and Stephen Muthini