Ignore Raila’s calls for mass action, Muslim leaders tell Kenyans

The Supreme Council of Kenyan Muslims has opposed opposition chief Raila Odinga’s calls for mass action against President William Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza administration.

Addressing the media Tuesday at Fort Jesus in Mombasa, Supkem national vice chairman Sheikh Muhdhar Khitamy said the protests and mass action will not change anything.

Khitamy asked Kenyans to ignore the Azimio leader and instead focus on things of great concern to them like improving the country’s economy.

“We urge all Kenyans to resist Raila’s plans for mass action, especially now that we are about to begin the Holy Month of Ramadhan on March 23. Protests are not the solution to what ails the country at the moment,” he said.

“Let us instead work with the President and see how we can support him deliver his agenda, the protests will only hurt our economy and destroy our unity.”

He said that Raila is a “perennial loser in the presidential elections, who has refused to accept the outcomes more than four times after being defeated.”

Khitamy warned Kenyans to be wary of politicians who are hellbent on using them for their own selfish gains.

“We are asking him (Raila) to sit down and look for other legal ways to pursue this issue, mass action is not the way to go especially in these current tough economic times,” he said.

The ODM chief, who pitched camp at the Coast on Sunday and Monday, promised that he will not backtrack from his campaign to rally Kenyans against the Kenya Kwanza administration.

Raila on Monday held a rally in Mtwapa, Kilifi county, where he once again accused President Ruto and his administration for failing to deliver on their promises they made during the campaigns.

He said that the President had failed to lower the cost of living, adding that many Kenyans were suffering and unable to afford the cost of basic food items.

“Ruto promised to lower the cost of living, but he has gone against the promises he gave to Kenyans. He cut off subsidies, saying they were not sustainable,” the Azimio leader said on Monday.

On Sunday, he had led yet another rally in Caltex grounds, Likoni constituency in Mombasa, where he led an onslaught against the government.

Last Thursday, Raila declared a countrywide mass action to exert pressure on the President to yield to Azimio’s demands on lowering the cost of living and the constitution of a new electoral agency. 

He is expected to lead a one-million people march in the streets of Nairobi on March 20.

Sheikh Khitamy however asked Raila to give the President time to deliver on his promises, saying that the country cannot afford to be on the campaign mode for five years.

The Mombasa county Supkem secretary general Sheikh Khalfan Ali called for unity in the country, asking Kenyans, especially Muslims, to pray for unity as they are about to welcome the holy month of Ramadhan.

“Kenya is bigger than any individual. We need unity in our country, we need to see our economy grow and we need our youth to be innovative. This can only happen if we have peace,” Ali said. 

He further said that this is the time that Kenyans need to pray together and share ideas on how to better the economy.

The Mombasa county Supkem chairman Sheikh Khalifa lauded the government for working towards lowering the cost of living.

“We have to applaud the government for the efforts so far made, a packet of 2kg maize flour, for instanc,e was retailing at Sh230 to 250 before elections, now the same is retailing at about Sh150. We need to support the government to continue lowering the cost of living,” Khalifa said.

He said that this was a good sign that things will get better, asking the President to expedite his efforts to improve the economy.

Khalifa called on the government to ensure security as the Muslim community is about to begin fasting to ensure that they are safe as they go for night prayers (Tarawe) during Ramadhan.

(edited by Amol Awuor)