Raila asks supporters to end protests at 5pm, to resume on Thursday

Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga has asked his supporters to temporarily halt the anti-government protests happening on Wednesday, July 19, at 5 pm.

The former Prime Minister however urged Kenyans to resume the protests on Thursday, July 20.

In a statement to his supporters, the leader of the Azimio La Umoja party acknowledged the successful first day of protests.

Raila further expressed satisfaction with the government’s responsiveness to the grievances raised by the demonstrators.

In similar news, the Orange Democratic Movement’s Communications Director, Philip Etale, welcomed Raila’s directive to temporarily halt the protests. Mr. Etale emphasized that the opposition will not relent in its effort to hold the current regime accountable. 

He added that the opposition would abide by the law and hold demonstrations within the stipulated timeframe.

“The directive is in line with the Constitution which stipulates that protests should end at 5 pm,” Etale stated. 

However, Mr. Odinga declined the request made by religious leaders to engage in dialogue with President William Ruto. The former Premier broke his silence on the matter after maintaining a low profile throughout the first day of protests.

Both pro-government allies and his supporters had expected him to lead the three-day demonstrations. The protests are set to conclude on Friday, July 21, before resuming next week.

Some government supporters speculated that Odinga had gone into hiding or had been advised to rest. But these allegations were dismissed by Mr. Odinga and his camp.

Azimio La Umoja also claimed that at least ten other politicians aligned with Odinga had been arrested and taken to undisclosed locations.

Embakasi East MP was the first to be arrested on July 19, at JKIA airport, on his arrival from Mombasa.

The Orange party condemned these alleged abductions and suggested a conspiracy to eliminate key figures within their ranks.

The police, however, denied these reports and dismissed them as propaganda.

In a statement dated Wednesday, July 18, Azimio La Umoja declared, “These unlawful arrests and abductions are desperate attempts by the Ruto Regime to cripple Azimio and its top leaders and to undermine our constitutional right to peaceful demonstrations.”

“We demand the immediate release of those detained, as their detention is not only malicious but also illegal,” the statement continues.