Leader of the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Raila Odinga stormed the Rift Valley yesterday for an anti-government gathering and vowed not to be coerced into canceling the planned nationwide protests on Monday.
The planned demonstrations, according to Mr. Odinga, would be peaceful, he said while speaking to a crowd at the Mazembe Grounds in Nakuru City.
Referring to his encounters with the administration of former President Daniel Moi, Mr. Odinga insisted that he would not be intimidated by the President and other government figures.
“We cannot be intimidated by William Ruto and Rigathi Gachagua. I want to tell them that I fought for the second liberation in this country. The two cannot understand what I have gone through. I was arrested, charged in court and went to prison in 1983 but was discharged for lack of evidence. I have been fighting for democracy and was put in detention for eight years when some of them were still breastfeeding,” Mr Odinga said.
“The lion (Moi) was dreaded but we uprooted its teeth. I am ready and prepared to pay the ultimate price while fighting for the liberation of Kenya,” added Mr Odinga amid cheers from the charged crowd.
Mr. Odinga listed six reasons for the protests on March 20: President Ruto’s refusal to permit the audit of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) servers, the high cost of living after the government cut subsidies, nepotism in the Kenyan administration, the failure to consult other stakeholders in the reconstitution of IEBC, broken promises, and an illegitimate election.
