Africa-Press – Kenya. ODM grassroots leaders have endorsed Raila Odinga’s impending mass action scheduled for next week to pursue what he has termed as electoral justice. The party’s chairmen from 35 counties reached the resolution on Friday after a consultative meeting with Raila at a Nairobi hotel.
“The county chairs are fully behind the party leaders to restore the stolen victory and push for an audit of election results. We also support his initiative to pressure to the Kenya Kwanza regime to lower the rising cost of living and call for mass action should the government turn a deaf ear to the people’s concern,” the leaders said in a statement after the meeting.
Raila on February 22 gave the Kenya Kwanza regime a 14-day ultimatum to open IEBC servers and lower the cost of living or face mass action. Speaking during Azimio’s first prayer meeting at the Jevanjee gardens in Nairobi, Raila said the government’s decision to withdraw subsidies in the middle of a ravaging drought and famine was reckless and heartless.
“We’ve talked about the rising cost of basic commodities like unga, electricity, fuel, sugar and milk among others for far too long. We have complained about rising taxes and talked about children dropping out of school for lack of fees,” Raila said.
“Consequently, the subsidies must be restored, and the cost of basic commodities and taxes must come down in the next 14 days.”
Other resolutions reached by the ODM county leaders include the endorsement of the delisting of rebel MPs who visited President William Ruto at the State House.
“This will act as a warning to others who may be planning of derailing the party in which they are still members,” they said.
They accused the Judiciary of supporting impunity citing the dismissal of Raila’s presidential petition despite “glaring irregularities and malpractices committed by the IEBC”.
Coincidentally, their stance came on the same day the ODM party lost two parliamentary seats after the court nullified Magarini MP Harrison Kombe’s election and Lagdera’s Abdikadir Hussein.
It followed petitions filed by UDA’s Stanley Kenga and Abdiqani Zeitun respectively. “We, therefore, demand the opening of the IEBC servers,” the ODM county chairs said.
Still on elections, the leaders said they are fully convinced that the report of the whistleblower on electoral fraud in the 2022 presidential polls is true citing it as the basis for their demand that the servers be opened.
“The shocking revelation where the party leader’s votes were deducted and added to Ruto’s votes is a show of a blatant impunity by the electoral body who were finally shielded by the Supreme Court,” they said.
However, it remains to be seen whether or not Raila will go on with the planned mass action on Wednesday next week following the loss of the two seats.
In case of a by-election, Raila’s presence on the ground in Lagdera and Magarini will be integral if he is to secure victory. By law, a by-election should be held within 90 days upon the declaration of vacancy by the National Assembly Speaker.
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