Drop demos and let Ruto do his job, Wetang'ula tells Raila

National Assembly speaker Moses Wetang'ula has advised Azimio leader Raila Odinga to drop his planned public demos and give the Kenya Kwanza administration ample time to lead.

In a statement during campaigns for the Ford Kenya candidate in the forthcoming senatorial elections in Bungoma, Wetang'ula said protests have never resulted in positive outcomes for the ODM leader.

"This thing you are talking about holding protests is dragging our country down. We were with you my brother Raila in demonstrations, we were teargassed and I once lost a shoe on University Way, but we never succeeded," Wetang'ula said.

In the run-up to the disputed 2017 polls, Raila and his then allies in the defunct Cord started holding demonstrations dubbed teargas Monday to force the then commissioners of the IEBC out of office.

Raila and his team including Wetang'ula accused the agency of bias and called for their removal. 

Wetang'ula reminded the ODM leader that even after the demos, the elections that followed were disputed forcing him to settle for a handshake with former President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The former Bungoma senator said the scenario was replicated in the 2022 elections where Raila challenged the results of the presidential race but the court upheld President William Ruto's win.

Wetang'ula challenged Raila to respect the court's decision and let Ruto and his administration work peacefully.

"Be calm for the country to move forward. If truly you think there is illegitimacy, then you don't believe in our institutions including the courts of law."

"Kwa sababu koti ilimua ukasema umekubali. Kama umekubali peana mshindi nafasi afanye kazi yake, wewe ukitaka ngoja 2027 bado tutaonana mundu khu mundu," he said. 

(The court decided and you said you agreed with the decision. If that is the case, let the winner do his job, we can then meet face to face again in the 2027 polls)

Raila on Monday clarified that Wednesday's rally at Kamukunji and a similar rally on Madaraka Day Monday next week will not be demonstrations.

He said the events will be consultation forums and not a call to public protest. 

"The maandamano they're talking about is theirs, not ours. On the 12th of December, at Jacaranda Grounds, we will have our own celebration of our independence and our Republic."

Raila has promised his supporters that during the Wednesday rally, he will give a blow-by-blow account of how his win at the August poll was stolen.

"We know what they did, how they did it, and who helped them do it. We shall reveal all that shortly," Raila said.