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Alego-Usonga MP Samuel Atandi says government is planning to arrest Raila


Alego-Usonga Member of Parliament Samuel Atandi now claims some Kenya Kwanza politicians have initiated plans to arrest Azimio la Umoja leader, Raila Odinga.

On Tuesday, Mr Odinga announced that Azimio demonstrations will be held every Mondays and Thursdays. According to Mr Atandi, discussions of the arrests are under way.

“Plans are in top gear to arrest Raila, and we urge them to proceed,” Mr Atandi said on Thursday in an interview with Citizen TV.

The lawmaker, however, did not provide any proof to support his allegations.

Also read: Understanding Raila’s close ties with media personality Lindah Ogutu

ODM legislator also said President William Ruto has been informed of the plans.

Mr Atandi cautioned that arresting the former Prime Minister may plunge the country into a huge political crisis.

“If you arrest Raila you will be plunging the country into trouble,” the MP warned.

Mr Atandi has claimed that Kenya has never had free and fair elections since independence.

“We want a country where elections are conducted in a transparent manner, thus putting to rest the electoral malpractices,” he reiterated.

Also read: The narrative that Raila is finished is laughable – Herman Manyora

On Tuesday, a section of Kenya Kwanza lawmakers called on the government to treat Mr Odinga as ‘a criminal just like other offenders’ terming Monday protests by the Azimio coalition where traders in Nairobi and Kisumu lost properties to the looters, as a criminal offence.

Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua said Nairobi alone lost Sh2 billion during Monday protests.

Regardless, Mr Odinga has vowed to continue scale up the protests until the government meets the demands that his coalition is making.

He insists that the Kenya Kwanza government must commit itself to addressing the soaring cost of living, reinstatement of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) commissioners who fired following last year’s general elections pressure and appointment of the new commissioners to be stopped.

Also read: Sonko to Raila – For Muslims’ sake, suspend Azimio demonstrations