Raila Odinga condemns withdrawal of his, Kalonzo's security

Nasa leader Raila Odinga. He accuses the government of killing more than 60 people since the August 8 General Election. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The officers were recalled to General Service Unit headquarters in Nairobi on the eve of planned demos against the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

  • The demos went on as planned in Nairobi and Kisumu but Mr Odinga, Mr Musyoka and other top officials of the Nasa were conspicuously missing.

Nasa leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday accused the police of a plot to intimidate the opposition after they were stripped of state security.

Mr Odinga’s bodyguards and those attached to his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka were withdrawn on Monday evening.

DEMOS

The officers were recalled to General Service Unit headquarters in Nairobi on the eve of planned demos against the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

The demos went on as planned in Nairobi and Kisumu but Mr Odinga, Mr Musyoka and other top officials of the Nasa were conspicuously missing.

Mr Odinga said the move by the government to deny him state protection was part of a wider scheme to cause harm to opposition leaders.

The officers, he said, were recalled without official communication.

Mr Odinga, while addressing a press conference at his Capitol Hill offices in Nairobi said under the law, he was entitled to protection by the government.

ULTIMATUM

"Nobody has informed me on the withdrawal. I woke up and found the officers had been recalled,” said Mr Odinga.

“However my security are the people of Kenya who we will stand with irrespective of the circumstances.”

Earlier, MPs allied to Nasa threatened to stage mass protests should the government fail to reinstate the two leaders’ bodyguards.

The MPs, led by ODM national chairman John Mbadi, said they have given the government a 24-hour ultimatum to restore the security.

Mr Mbadi said under the law, President Kenyatta had the responsibility of protecting all Kenyans irrespective of their political inclination.

“The move by Jubilee sets a dangerous precedent. We will not be cowed into submission,” said Mr Mbadi.

“If anything happens to our principals, we will solely blame it on President Kenyatta.”