Stay at home on Thursday, don't protest, Raila tells supporters

Raila Odinga has clarified his instructions for voting day, saying his supporters should stay away, not demonstrate, in their push for reforms at IEBC.

The Opposition leader had said mega demonstrations would take place across the country on Thursday.

This was the date IEBC set for his repeat race against President Uhuru Kenyatta following the Supreme Court's cancellation of the latter's victory on August 8.

More on this: 'Bullets, teargas won't stop us': Raila calls mega demos on October 26

While giving the clarification on Tuesday, he told the BBC:  "There are two forces here; those who want to go on with sham elections irrespective of consequences and those who are saying 'no, its is not right to do it'."

Raila, who is NASA's presidential candidate, said Jubilee supporters are running around in military fatigue trying to militarise politics in Kenya.

"You find even Jubilee women politicians in military jungle fatigues basically intimidating the electorates in this country."

The ODM leader said NASA supporters are justified in their 'no reforms no election' call and that they are resisting this "militarisation" of the public.

"...you need to know picketing is guaranteed...[we are allowed] to do a peaceful procession carrying placards [with] messages and white handkerchiefs saying 'no reforms no elections'."

The National Super Alliance had said it would hold the mother of all demonstrations on voting day to dispute the election.

Raila announced this noting their demands have not been met so they will carry on despite police use of bullets and teargas.

"Demonstrations will continue. October 26 will be the biggest demonstration of them all," he told a crowd of several thousand cheering supporters at Nairobi's Kamukunji grounds.

"We have seen how police are brutally killing our people but we shall not be intimidated by a police force. Kenya is a free country and must be ruled by law and constitutionalism, not jungle law."

The Opposition leader has been rallying his supporters to boycott the poll, saying the results have already been pre-determined and that problems with IEBC mean the vote cannot not be fair.

Also read: It's hard to guarantee free election, IEBC won't tolerate threats - Chebukati

 

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