NASA MPs target Safaricom, Bidco, Brookside in economic boycott

A member of the Parliament from the National Super Alliance (NASA) attends a news conference launching the boycott of Safaricom, Bidco and Brookside at Okoa Kenya in Nairobi, November 3, 2017. /REUTERS
A member of the Parliament from the National Super Alliance (NASA) attends a news conference launching the boycott of Safaricom, Bidco and Brookside at Okoa Kenya in Nairobi, November 3, 2017. /REUTERS

Opposition MPs have asked supporters to boycott products and services by Safaricom, Brookside and Bidco as part of the resistance movement.

At a press conference at Okoa Kenya in Nairobi on Friday, the leaders wore white T-shirts with clenched fists on them, symbolic of the resistance.

They chanted 'Resist!' after each of the companies was mentioned.

Their goal - " to bring the institutions to their knees" - follows NASA leader Raila Odinga's announcement that the National Super Alliance had changed into a national resistance movement.

The leaders noted the boycott was part of the economic liberation scheme supported by the People's Assembly.

At a press conference on October 25, Raila said he will work with the people to protect the constitution.

He reiterated the boycott threat, saying there are many ways to kill a cat, and said

the people should take instructions to boycott newspapers, TV stations, products and services in their bid for change in Kenya.

The Opposition leader has not issued another statement on what to boycott

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WHO HAS THE NUMBERS?

Suna East MP Junet Mohamed affirmed the move by the "parliamentary wing of the NRM" saying

NASA controls 70 per cent of the country so "let's see who has the numbers".

Mbita MP Millie Odhiambo said: "Besides frustrating the legitimate democratic dreams and aspirations of Kenyans, these companies have the blood of Kenyans on their hands and systems. They provided solid backing for the Jubilee regime and a platform for the rigging of elections.

"The rigging of elections has led to the deaths of innocent Kenyans shot dead by police in 2007, 2013 and now 2017. These companies provide goods and services supplied by people with the blood of Kenyans on their hands."

Opposition leader Raila Odinga wears a National Resistance Movement cap at his Capitoll Hill office in Nairobi, Novemebr 2, 2017. /EVANS OUMA

Millie said there will be non-cooperation with the "illegal" national government and defense of the right to peaceful protests to push for the third liberation.

"We ask Kenyans to only rely on the list that we will officially and formally receive from NASA," she said.

"Any list that will not have come from us will be fake with regard to this struggle. We ask our people to stick to the list we will provide from time to time.”

Ugunja

MP Opiyo Wandayi added:

"We will release the list of companies in time because there is no price that is too high to pay for a country to go back to its democratic state.

"Kenyans are tired of the culture of electoral theft entrenched by the Jubilee administration."

'RESISTANCE TO SPREAD QUICKLY'

Raila has often accused President Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee Party administration of ruining the economy and said one of his goals is to expose corruption. He has promised to save Kenyans from this and take them to 'Canaan'.

The politicians

said they want the boycott to spread quickly across the country as a grand show of opposition to the Jubilee government.

Homa Bay woman representative Gladys Wanga called

on NASA supporters to migrate from the telecommunications company by next Friday.

"Safaricom is

holding the blood of our people in its hands. It stood in the way of democracy during the election," she said.

The lawmakers further said the companies provide goods and services used to abuse the rights of Kenyans and cause deaths.

"Their goods, services and market proceeds are used to support people who have the blood of Kenyans on their hands," Wanga said.

"Safaricom's conspiracy to defeat the will of Kenyans in the 2017 election has been widely canvassed."

Raila earlier

threatened to call a boycott of products from corporations he claimed were part of the August election rigging scheme.

The Opposition leader said they

"will not allow Kenya to be the playground

to forces who want to stifle the country's progress".

"Big corporations

are part and parcel of killing democracy

in Kenya.

We have the power and if they want to stifle

our democracy, we can retaliate," he said.

But Safaricom, ballot papers printer Al Ghurair which is based in Dubai and KIEMS kits supplier OT-Morpho denied the allegations.

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