Raila Odinga, the leader of the opposition, said on Tuesday that the signature collection drive he launched last Friday to remove President William Ruto has so far collected over 1.2 million stamps.
He spoke in Nairobi at the launch of a digital signature collection platform to supplement his ambitious plan, which he claims will result in the withdrawal of delegated powers and a referendum to impeach President Ruto.
“We thank the 1.2 million people who have signed so far,” Odinga told a press conference after unveiling the portal dubbed ‘Tumechoka’.
According to Raila, the digital platform will run alongside the physical signature collection and complement the other avenues the opposition has taken to air their grievances, including civil disobedience, a tax boycott, and defiance.
“Kenya Kwanza has questioned where we will take the signatures and the legality of the exercise. We don’t expect them to understand; they don’t understand the people’s power as of now, but with time they will do,” he said.
The opposition leader accused President Ruto of “deliberate attempts to make life unbearable for the majority of Kenyans,” and said the weekly anti-government protests, which began last week, would continue across the country.
“Kamukunji will not be confined to Nairobi. It will be everywhere Kenyans gather in the name of justice,” he said.
Odinga cited Article 1, clauses One and Two of the Constitution in announcing the start of the signature drive on Friday at the Kamukunji grounds in Nairobi.
However, the Constitution states that a president can only be removed by Parliament and on two grounds: impeachment or incapacity.
In the case of impeachment, a legislator moves a motion for impeachment on three grounds, with the support of at least one-third of all MPs.
They include a gross violation of a provision of the Constitution or any other law, compelling evidence that the President committed a crime under national or international law, or gross misconduct.
In the event of incapacity, the head of state will be unable to perform their duties due to either mental or physical incapacity.
