Jeremiah Kioni rallies Jubilee supporters to turn up for Monday demos
Jubilee Party has declared that all its offices across the country will on Monday remain closed in support of Azimio la Umoja coalition’s countrywide mass action.
He said the headquarters will not be opened on Monday in line with the directive of the coalition leader Raila Odinga.
Jubilee Party secretary general Jeremiah Kioni has also urged party supporters to turn up on Monday and support the coalition’s directive.
“I urge you party officials and in individual party to turn up and shore up support,” Kioni said in a notice to party members.
Mr Odinga has declared Monday as a “public holiday” and urged Kenyans to turn up for mass demos.
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The opposition coalition has vowed to engage in peaceful mass demos to protest high cost of living and electoral injustice.
Mr Odinga and his allies has been holding series of nationwide meetings to engage and mobilize supporters.
Meanwhile, chaos and teargas briefly marred Mr Odinga’s Friday visit to Kiambu County, one of the vote-rich counties in Kenya, ahead of his much-publicised mass action on Monday that seeks to pressure the Kenya Kwanza government to bring down the cost of living.
Mr Odinga, who lost the August Presidential election to President William Ruto, kicked off his rallies in Ruaka before his motorcade snaked its way through Kiambu town, Kirigiti, Ruiru and later Githurai 45 estate.
In Githurai 45, the dais, from where he was to address his supporters, was destroyed by rowdy youths.
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In Kiambu town, police briefly lobbed a teargas canister but Mr Odinga and his team stayed put and addressed a crowd. He condemned the teargas incident.
Mr Odinga said the planned Monday protests seek to liberate Kenyans from a bad regime that was determined to loot for selfish gain.
In all the areas he toured on Friday in the vast county, Mr Odinga appealed to the locals to turn up in large numbers and support the protests.
“On Monday, our mass action will be peaceful and we have no intention of destroying anyone’s business… we will be seeking to liberate Kenyans from a bad regime that is stealing and exploiting them and is unable to control the high cost of living,” Mr Odinga said.
“I heard some people saying that we will destroy the Kikuyu businesses. Kikuyus voted for me. They are my people. Our business on Monday will be to get back the stolen victory and pressure the government to lower the cost of living,” Mr Odinga went on.
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