Through a message conveyed by Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, Odinga encouraged everyone to maintain peace during and after the delivery of the verdict/CFM NEWS
NAIROBI, Kenya, Sep 1 – The Opposition National Super Alliance (NASA) leader Raila Odinga has told his supporters that whatever the outcome of the presidential petition due Friday morning, they are all winners.
Through a message conveyed by Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, Odinga encouraged everyone to maintain peace during and after the delivery of the verdict.
“The Prime Minister told me that please tell our people that whatever happens we are winners, so he asked you to go to church, to the mosques, to the temples, wherever you pray and give thanks to God because we are all winners,” he stated.
Nyong’o is set to lead Kisumu residents in prayers as they wait for the outcome of the petition.
“When people are celebrating, they need to be secure. When people are mourning or sad, they need to be secure. You know in Luo culture, when we go to mourn, we go with bravado. We have cows, bulls, we shout, we ‘teroburu’, that is a way of mourning,” he stated.
“It does not mean that you are fighting anybody. We sing we dance. Both are expressions of emotions and they must be done under secure circumstances.”
The Supreme Court was set to deliver the ruling in the presidential petition Friday at 11am.
Hearing on the petition challenging the re-election of Uhuru Kenyatta as President was concluded on Tuesday.
Security around the Supreme Court is already tight, with key roads blocked to motorists. There is also restricted access to pedestrians.
Odinga has asked the court to invalidate the election results declared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), citing what his lawyers described as massive irregularities, but the electoral commission mounted defence saying the poll was credible. President Kenyatta’s lawyers too said the same.
Among the issues the judges will be grappling with are whether there were irregularities in the poll and, if so, whether they were massive enough to annul the results.
The judges have the option of upholding President Kenyatta’s election or invalidate the results and pave way for a fresh presidential election.
In the event the judges uphold the election, President Kenyatta will be sworn-in on the first Tuesday on expiry of seven days from Friday September 1, which will be September 12.
But if the election is nullified, Kenyans will have to go back to elections in 60 days.
Police across the country have been put on standby ahead of the Friday ruling, to ensure peace is maintained in case supporters of any side of the political divide start riots.
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