Eyes on Uhuru as Raila leads anti-Ruto protests

The ex-president had last week hinted at leading the push against the government.

In Summary
  • The opposition is pushing for electoral reforms, low cost of living, the opening of the election servers and a return of food subsidies.
  • Uhuru last week stormed the Jubilee party headquarters in Kileleshwa to stamp his authority following a siege by a faction loyal to President William Ruto.
Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta arriving at Jubilee headquarters on April 26, 2023
Retired President Uhuru Kenyatta arriving at Jubilee headquarters on April 26, 2023
Image: Handout

All eyes will on Tuesday be on retired President Uhuru Kenyatta as his Azimio coalition holds anti-government protests in Nairobi.

The former President had last week hinted at possibly joining Azimio leader Raila Odinga in street protests to pressure for a wide-ranging of reforms.

The opposition is pushing for electoral reforms, low cost of living, the opening of the election servers and a return of food subsidies that were instituted by Uhuru's administration.

Uhuru last week stormed the Jubilee party headquarters in Kileleshwa to stamp his authority following a siege by a faction loyal to President William Ruto.

Uhuru then asked the government to stop meddling in sponsoring factional wars to wreck political parties in the country, including Jubilee.

Jubilee, the former ruling party, is an anchor member of the Azimio coalition in which Uhuru serves as the chairperson.

Uhuru who is the leader of Jubilee campaigned aggressively for Raila in the last election but Ruto dwarfed the bid at the ballot.

Raila will on Tuesday lead demonstrations along major streets in Nairobi despite a police ban on the protests.

He said on Monday that he will hand over petitions to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, National Treasury and Office of the President along Harambee Avenue.

Last week, opposition leaders welcomed Uhuru's bold move to step out and defend his Jubilee party.

They welcomed him to hit the road against Ruto's government and be at the forefront of defending the multi-party democracy gains consolidated so far.

On Tuesday, ODM national treasurer Timothy Bosire said the former President had last week asserted his relevance in the country's political arena.

He said the ex-President was welcome to join the Azimio protests against what he termed as attempts by the regime to return the country to the old days of dictatorship.

"The former President has an opportunity to cement his legacy as well as preserve a place in the annals of history as a liberator who stood up against dictatorship," he said. 

There were reports that the ex-president could have held talks with Raila and some ODM bigwigs over the weekend.

However, it was not clear whether the discussions centred on plans for him to join the street protests.

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