Raila Odinga, leader of the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party, has stated that the protest rally scheduled for Kamukunji grounds in Nairobi on Friday, July 7, 2023, will be held nationwide.
In a press conference on Tuesday afternoon, the Opposition Leader rallied all of his supporters across the country to mark the historic Saba Saba Day by protesting the current government’s high cost of living.
Odinga, who promised to lead a major rally at the Kamukunji grounds, said he would formalise where subsequent rallies would be held across the country.
“Our Kamukunji meeting is on in Nairobi this Friday as we had announced. But it is not just a Kamukunji in Nairobi, but a Kamukunji across the country where this Third Liberation will be launched,” Odinga stated.
The Azimio Chief cited rising taxes on consumer goods, fuel, and the recently announced fare hike, noting that the consultative meetings would be aimed at boycotting President William Ruto’s regime, its policies, and taxes.
He stated that the opposition coalition would lead Kenyans in gathering signatures to reject the administration.
“Ruto is imposing taxes on us without our consent and making laws whose net effect is to make life increasingly difficult. We are here because the taxation situation in the country and its accompanying injustices can no longer be tolerated,” he said.
“On July 7 2023, among other activities, we will launch signature collection to signify our rejection of Kenya Kwanza’s illegitimate regime and its policies, especially the punitive taxes,” he said.
“As we speak, fuel, food, fare…are all going up in prices. In fact, the fare is already going up by 30%.”
As a result, the former premier urged Kenyans to support his efforts to oppose what he called ‘dictatorship’ and to oppose newly imposed taxes that he claimed made Kenyans’ lives unbearable.
“It has become clear that we are dealing with a dictator who also has no respect for wananchi. Ruto has become a heartless tyrant,” he stated.
“As a people, we are not given to suffer in silence; we do not kneel before dictators and beg for their mercy. Even the few who do still suffer humiliation and even death, so we fight! Let us proceed with a bold determination that we are going to stick together and work together.”
At the same time, Odinga defended the legality of the protests, claiming that Kenyans will be exercising their constitutional right.
He assuaged concerns about violence during the rallies by emphasising that the protests would be peaceful and in accordance with the law.
“By embarking on protests, picketing, tax boycott and civil disobedience we are not in any way advocating for violence. We have never advocated for violence in the past, we will never advocate it now or in the future,” he noted.
“We believe in the law and the rule of law and we will act within the law but the only weapon which we have in our hands is our sovereign power to picket, protest, boycott and embark on civil disobedience beginning on Friday.”
