Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga was on Tuesday ‘sworn-in’ as the ‘people’s president’ as thousands of his supporters watched him take a symbolic presidential oath on the Bible at Uhuru Park, near Nairobi’s main business district.
Notably though, National Super Alliance (NASA) principals Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang’ula were absent during the hurried up event.
“I, Raila Omolo Odinga, do swear that I will protect the nation as people’s president, so help me God,” Odinga said to the cheers of more than 10,000 people in the park.
August’s disputed poll
On the 8th of August, 2017, Kenyans went to the polls to vote for president as well as governors, senators, MPs and members of county assemblies (MCAs) in a vote that has been seen as one of the most competitive elections in the country’s history.
President Uhuru Kenyatta, who was seeking a second and final mandate was battling it out with politician Raila Odinga.
Kenyatta was declared winner of the August poll but Odinga disputed the results calling them “technology-doctored” results.
Odinga filed a petition with the Supreme Court of Kenya, stating that results from more than a third of polling stations were “fatally flawed”, in some cases because of irregularities in electronic transmission of paper results forms. This led to the nullification of the results and a repeat presidential election in October. Odinga withdrew from that race over a failure to revamp the electoral commission. Kenyatta won and was sworn into office in November.
The ‘swearing-in’
The opposition leader had been warned earlier on by the country’s Attorney General that he could be charged with treason if the event went ahead with the swearing-in – an offence that can carry the death penalty.
Many Raila Odinga supporters from the capital’s slums, the west and along the coast areas of the country, arrived early into Uhuru Park chanting pro-Odinga slogans, waving tree branches and blowing horns and whistles.
Police earlier said they would prevent the assembly which had been termed illegal but they were not present in the park and no anti-riot officers or vehicles were visible.
According to a number of local radio stations, Odinga’s supporters had been granted permission to use the park.
“We intend to hold a peaceful event,” Odinga’s NASA alliance said in a statement late on Monday.
“We nonetheless wish to put the (ruling party) Jubilee administration on notice that we will accomplish our mission, come hell or high water. We advise our supporters to come prepared to stay until our mission is accomplished.”
Media shutdown
At around 900hrs (06.10GMT), three privately owned television stations – NTV, KTN and Citizen TV went off air.
The broadcasting houses claim the government’s hand in forcing them off the air over plans to cover the opposition’s ‘swearing in’ of their leader.
“The Communications Authority of Kenya has switched off Citizen Television and Radio in most parts of the country over the coverage of the NASA ‘swearing-in’ plan,” the Citizen website said.
All three broadcasters however continued to provide live coverage on their website, Facebook, and YouTube.
