Last week, opposition leader Raila Odinga announced that he will lead mass protests in 14 days if the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition’s demands are not honored.
Among the demands, Raila is demanding to include the formula for choosing Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) members and lowering the cost of living among others.
Over the weekend, Raila insisted that President William Ruto‘s administration has 11 days left to accede to Azimio’s demands, which stem from the disputed 2022 presidential elections that were settled by the Supreme Court.
The former Prime Minister has previously staged mass protests that have paralyzed economic activity and caused loss of lives.
These have forced sitting governments into power-sharing negotiations, ceding ground to policy and legal reforms, as well as creating room for negotiated political solutions.
As such, Nyaribari Chache Member of Parliament Zaher Jhanda has asked opposition leader Raila Odinga to surrender his diplomatic passport over his calls for mass protests.
In an interview with KBC TV on Monday, February 27, the lawmaker said it was wrong for the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition party presidential candidate to destabilize the government of the day and continue enjoying the benefits of diplomatic passports.
“We are asking Raila Odinga and other Azimio leaders to return their diplomatic passports. They don’t respect the government of the day and are calling for mass action to destabilize the government. They should face the full force of the law,” he said.
This comes at a time when President Ruto’s allies are pushing the West to impose sanctions, including a travel ban against Raila to European countries.
“Does he want to overthrow the legally elected government and proceed to install himself? We are having a conversation about this even with Uhuru (Kenyatta); if he continues undermining the current regime, we will ask that he be withdrawn from his regional peace mission,” a UDA legislator said as quoted by the Sunday Nation.
