Uhuru asks Raila Odinga to hold peaceful protests

President Uhuru Kenyatta, deputy say elections must be held on 26th October

What you need to know:

  • He described the September 1 Supreme Court judgment as a trap meant to lure him into taking the country into anarchy.
  • President Kenyatta and Mr Ruto criticised Nasa’s demands for changes in the electoral commission.

President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto have cautioned Nasa against violence and disruption of peace during their planned demonstrations in Nairobi on Tuesday.

They warned that any breach of peace would be met with the full force of the law.

The President and Mr Ruto were speaking in Embu, Meru and Tharaka-Nithi counties where they took their campaigns for the October 26 repeat presidential elections.

CHAOS
The two told Nasa leader Raila Odinga and his supporters that they were free to hold demonstrations but should not disrupt businesses or destroy property.

“They can demonstrate peacefully but if you touch a banana belonging to traders in the streets you will be met with the full force of the law.

"They are free to hurl insults at me because that won’t change who I am. However, we will not condone a breach of the peace,” Mr Kenyatta said in Chuka town, Tharaka-Nithi County, on Monday.

ELECTION

On the repeat poll, the President said the opposition’s conditions and demands on the IEBC were an attempt to delay the election and "get power through the back door".

“We are ready for the election because we won on August 8. Wakenya waliotupigia kura ni wale wale na matokeo ya kura yatakuwa yale yale (the Kenyans who voted for us will do so again and the results will be the same).

"Mr Odinga cannot be the adjudicator and the candidate for the very examination he is sitting,” he said.

DEMANDS
The Head of State added: “Even if they delay the election to next year, my deputy and I will be in office to implement our development agenda.

"The Constitution is very clear on how one can become president in Kenya. You must go through the ballot.”

He described the September 1 Supreme Court judgment as a trap meant to lure him into taking the country into anarchy, in case he rejected the court’s decision.

In Runyenjes and Embu town, President Kenyatta and Mr Ruto criticised Nasa’s demands for changes in the electoral commission and promised to ensure the safety of every Kenyan and their property as Nasa leaders and supporters go to the streets.

“They have decided to hold demos instead of campaigning. But if they attempt to steal from Kenyans as they demonstrate, they will know that Kenyans have a government,” Mr Kenyatta said.

“If they want to sleep on the roads with the police watching them, that is fine. But they will not stop any Kenyan from getting to their workplace,” he added.

REPEAT ELECTION
In apparent reference to insults by ODM lawmaker Babu Owino, the Head of State said his opponents were free to continue hurling insults.

Mr Ruto dismissed Mr Odinga’s demands to the IEBC as hypocritical since other Nasa politicians elected on August 8 were still in office.

“It is strange that they want to demonstrate against the IEBC that oversaw the election of their governors, senators, MPs and MCAs.

"They should tell us when IEBC failed yet their candidates won in an election supervised by the commission.

"Despite having won on August 8, we are ready to go back to the ballot. We won by [about 1.4] million votes and we will win again by a margin of three million,” Mr Ruto said.

The two were accompanied by local Jubilee leaders.

Reported by Grace Gitau, David Muchui, Alex Njeru and Charles Wanyoro.