- ICT CS Eliud Owalo in a press briefing on behalf of the government accused Azimio La Umoja of refusing to concede defeat despite losing the elections.
- He said they are using the cost of living as a decoy to pass their agenda while at the same time disregarding the basic tenets of the const
Image: STAR
President William Ruto's government has defended itself over chaos witnessed in the country on Monday which saw Former President Uhuru Kenyatta's farm in Ruiru invaded by intruders and Raila Odinga's spectre firm pelted with stones.
ICT CS Eliud Owalo in a press briefing on behalf of the government accused Azimio La Umoja of refusing to concede defeat despite losing the elections.
He said they are using the cost of living as a decoy to achieve their agenda while at the same time disregarding the basic tenets of the constitution.
"From the onset, in the view of the government, the current demonstration that we have been witnessing is not informed by the concern about the cost of living," he said.
"It is largely influenced by that fact that a section of the political class to date despite having exhausted all the legal mechanisms through which the election disputes can be elevated, still are not convinced that they are out of government."
Noting that there have been demonstrations on election disputes before, Owalo said the Kenya Kwanza government was not going to bow to the pressure of protests and violence.
He said the President William Ruto-led government was led by the rule of law, adding that they will uphold it.
"If it happened before and through acts of violence and intimidation, we have ended up with nusu mkate government, it does not mean that it will happen with the current government or any other government in the foreseeable future," he said.
Image: HANDOUT
In a message directed to Azimio leader Raila Odinga, Owalo said the only way to form a government was through an electoral process.
"You will not use unorthodox means of getting onto government either fully or partially. It is not a walk in the park. You have to seek the mandate of Kenyans to become part of or form a government," he said.
"It is not just a question of telling Kenyans to converge and march to State House. It will not happen."
He told Raila to wait until the five-year term ends.
"We are not going to engage in politics between now and 2027," Owalo said.
Owalo further said election losers should learn to concede, and Kenyans should move forward from previous elections going on.
He urged Kenyans to ignore calls from politicians to participate in violent protests.
The CS said the government is committed to protecting all lives and properties of Kenyans.
Noting that Azimio leader Raila Odinga has called for demonstrations on Thursday, he said the government will put on the necessary measure to ensure Kenyans are safe.
"Go ahead with your businesses as usual, the government is firmly in a position to create an enabling environment to ensure you will not be intimidated by anyone from any quarter whatsoever," he said.