Government declares October 26 public holiday for voting

An election clerk in Mombasa organises polling material a day ahead of the general election, August 7, 2017. /REUTERS
An election clerk in Mombasa organises polling material a day ahead of the general election, August 7, 2017. /REUTERS

The government has declared October 26 a public holiday

to enable Kenyans participate in the repeat presidential election.

Kenyans will go the polls to primarily choose between president Uhuru Kenyatta

and NASA chief Raila Odinga amid protests by the Opposition coalition.

The holiday

was declared in a gazette

notice written

by acting interior CS Fred Matiang'i.

NASA said they will hold the mother of all protest on voting day to dispute the election.

Raila announced this on Wednesday, noting their demands have not been met so they will carry on despite police use of bullets and teargas.

"Demonstrations will continue. October 26 will be the biggest demonstration of them all," he told a crowd of several thousand cheering supporters at

Nairobi's Kamukunji grounds.

"We have seen how police are brutally killing our people but we shall not be intimidated by a police force. Kenya is a free country and must be ruled by law and constitutionalism, not jungle law."

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