Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga has changed the venue of prayers set for next week.
The leader had earlier on Wednesday said they will hold the service at the Anniversary Towers which also houses the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) offices.
“We will also be doing a prayer for the IEBC that we have a better IEBC to defend the rights of our people. That prayer will be done in front of the premises of IEBC (Anniversary Towers),” he said.
Later in the evening, Raila announced that the prayers will be held at the Jevanjee Gardens in the City.
“This nation needs prayers. We are going to convene a prayer meeting at Jevanjee… We are going to talk more about it tomorrow (Thursday),” Raila told the press.
He made this remarks when he visited the residence of former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i moments after a police raid.
He added, that Kenyans must stand firm against intimidation and blackmail by those in power people’s power must prevail at this time.
The meeting will take place this weekend after the Kisii and Kisumu rallies which had earlier been planned.
“After we visit Kisii on Friday and Kisumu on Saturday, we will also be doing a prayer for the IEBC that we get an IEBC which will defend the rights of our people. We must defend electoral justice in our country and this is what we have told our MPs to do and will continue to urge Kenyans to wake up and defend their rights” Raila had earlier told on in the day told the press.
Raila has planned a series of nationwide anti-Ruto rallies in protest over the August 2022 presidential election results which he claims was rigged.
Raila claims to have won the elections with 8.1 million votes against Ruto’s 5.9 million. and says that he will not participate in the reconstitution of the electoral body.
The Azimio prayers come at a time when they have strongly scolded Ruto over his continued nationwide prayers.”We have shown beyond any doubt that the elections were rigged. It doesn’t matter how many times Ruto shouts, or how many times he prays. The prayer is not going to help him to get away with theft of elections,” Raila said.
By Irene Mutu
