"We don't recognize the current Kenya's president" - Opposition coalition

NAIROBI, Kenya

Kenya’s opposition coalition, Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya leader Raila Odinga insists that his victory during the August 9th 2022 presidential election was stolen by electoral commission in favour of the current regime.

Speaking at Kamukunji Grounds in Nairobi, on Monday, January 23, where he made eight clarion calls to Kenyans; the former Prime Minister said he has evidence to believe that he won the presidential poll by more than two million votes.

The opposition leader said they do not recognise President William Ruto as the President of Kenya and that the Kenya Kwanza government is illegitimate.

"First, we as Azimio reject the 2022 election results. We cannot and will not recognise the Kenya Kwanza regime and we equally don't recognise any officials in office with him," Mr Odinga said. 

“We won't recognise the Kenya Kwanza regime. We consider them illegitimate.... We don't recognise William Ruto as the President of Kenya....” He declared amid cheering supporters.

He claimed Ruto was rigged in a wider scheme involving the outgoing chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati.

Odinga said the coalition demands that the entire infrastructure and records of the 2022 elections at IEBC be made public and be audited by an impartial body -and that a forensic audit of the IEBC results and servers is non-negotiable.

"We demand that any attempts to reconstitute the IEBC single-handedly by Mr Ruto cease forthwith so that Kenyans themselves can reconstitute the body after full and fair deliberations," he said. 

According to Raila, the Supreme Court was captured by cartels and made to dismiss his petition challenging Ruto's victory as Kenya's fifth President.

Raila said IEBC whistle-blowers had confirmed to the Azimio team that the coalition won with a landslide.

Enjoying the massive support in the rally, he called for the Kenyans to resist and demand removal of punitive taxes that have led to punitive sky-rocking prices of products and services.

"In particular, we call on Kenyans to resist and demand the removal of the punitive taxes that have led to punitive costs of basic products and services including unga, milk, sugar, school books, fuel, electricity, bus fare, paraffin and school fees."

"From today, we call on every Kenyan buying electricity tokens to take a very close look at the statement and see how much of your money actually goes into tokens, how much goes to taxes and how long are we going to live like this."

He said the coalition demands that the Kenya Kwanza government resigns as it has "neither the mandate nor the ability to govern the country."

"We ask our people to say no to the UDA regime. This regime and it’s unfortunate and unfair policies must be resisted and the resistance starts today." 

Odinga was accompanied by Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua, Kalonzo Musyoka, Eugene Wamalwa, Wycliffe Oparanya and former presidential candidate George Wajackoyah among other leaders.  - Africa