President William Ruto has warned the opposition leader Raila Odinga and his colleagues against violent protests as they seek public opinion on four petitions to remove Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Vice-Chairperson Juliana Cherera and three commissioners who expressed reservations about his presidential election victory on August 9.
Speaking at the Twiga Foods Distribution Center’s official opening in Kiambu County, Ruto said that while the opposition was free to criticize the government, peace needed to be maintained.
“We are consolidating our country. I want to tell our brothers in the opposition to work with us, to criticize us, but let’s keep the country peaceful. I don’t think holding demonstrations and asking Kenyans to do whatever they want them to do is part of holding a government accountable,” Ruto said.
“I want to encourage them not to drive Kenyans against one another. Street demonstrations should not be part of the script of any responsible opposition,” he added.
This comes a day after Raila Odinga, leader of Azimio La Umoja One Kenya, announced that the nationwide public consultations will begin on Wednesday at Kamukunji grounds.
Next week in Nairobi, Odinga and his team will hold their first rallies, dubbed “consultative meetings” by supporters, in an effort to gauge public opinion on President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza’s campaign to expel the four commissioners.
Juliana Cherera, Vice-Chairperson of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), and commissioners Justus Nyang’aya, Irene Masit, and Francis Wanderi are the four IEBC officials.
The commissioners rejected the 2022 Presidential election results announced by IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati because the final verification and tallying process was “opaque.”
According to Odinga, the meetings will begin on Wednesday in Kamukunji, Nairobi, and will then travel to Mombasa, Nakuru, Kisumu, and Kakamega.
