Raila Odinga, the leader of the opposition in Kenya, has stated that planned demonstrations against the administration of President William Ruto in response to the country’s high cost of living will continue as planned despite a prohibition by the police. A few hours earlier, Odinga had accused Vice President Rigathi Gachagua of “coordinating a campaign of mayhem” against the scheduled rallies. Now, Odinga has called for demonstrations to take place on Monday and Thursday through a message on Twitter.
Violence erupted during demonstrations the week before last in Nairobi and other places, and one person was murdered as a result. Over two hundred people, including members of both houses of parliament who belonged to Odinga’s One Kenya Coalition Party, were detained by the police. On Sunday, the head of the Kenyan police force made an announcement that the demonstrations that Odinga had called for would no longer be allowed, stating that actions of this nature were and continue to be unlawful. “We have been trying to hold ourselves in check. At this point, we are unable to proceed in that manner,” Inspector General of Police Japhet Koome stated at a conference with the media. “As a police force, we are prepared to keep the peace,” you may say. The police fired tear gas and water cannons at Odinga’s convoy as well as other targets during the demonstrations that took place the week before. In preparation for the rallies that were scheduled to take place on Monday, there was a significant police presence in Nairobi’s central business area. Odinga, who is 78 years old, has called for unending demonstrations to take place twice a week, citing the high cost of essential foods such as maize flour, which has kept inflation high.
Also, he has asserted that Ruto cheated during the presidential election that took place the previous year. Ruto, who inherited a massive amount of foreign debt and has eliminated gasoline subsidies, stated last week that the protests were affecting companies and the people of Kenya. Odinga, a politician who has served as prime minister, has been unsuccessful in his campaign for the presidency in each of the last five elections. He took the most recent outcome all the way up to the Supreme Court, where it was upheld that Ruto was the winner.
