Raila to hold parallel Jamhuri Day celebrations in Nairobi

Azimio La Umoja leader Raila Odinga has announced that he will hold parallel Jamhuri Day celebrations on Monday, December 12 at the Jacaranda Gardens in Embakasi, Nairobi.

Addressing a press conference on Monday, the opposition chief said he will hold a peaceful rally with “Kenyan patriots” as President William Ruto will be leading the country in marking the national celebrations in a separate State function.

“On the 12th of December, we are going to Jacaranda Gardens in Embakasi, not Kamukunji. We will be celebrating Jamhuri Day with Kenyan patriots and it is also going to be a very peaceful congregation. No protests, no picketing, although that is also guaranteed by the constitution of Kenya,” said Odinga.

At the same time, Odinga said his planned nationwide public engagement forums which kick off on Wednesday, December 7, are not demonstrations as interpreted by a section of Kenyans.

Instead, Odinga said, the Azimio outfit will be “consulting with the people of Kenya.”

“If we wanted to do a demonstration or protest, we would just inform the police to provide security and do it, but we are not demonstrating or engaging in any act of thuggery and hooliganism and no property is going to be destroyed,” he said.

“The government should not use this as an excuse to bring thugs there to try to disrupt this function.”

The Azimio leader was flanked by NARC Kenya party leader Martha Karua and Jubilee Party Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni, among others.

Wednesday’s rally will be held at the Kamukunji Grounds in Nairobi as Odinga engages Kenyans on various issues he has against Ruto’s administration.

Odinga’s rallies stem from the ongoing probe of four Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners.

The four; Juliana Cherera, Irene Masit, Francis Wanderi, and Justus Nyang’aya are being investigated after petitions were filed challenging their suitability to hold office, following their disowning of the August 9 Election presidential results.

He also accuses President Ruto of a ploy to rig the 2027 elections following the suspension of the four, as well as what he terms as skewed public appointments.