Opposition leaders Raila Odinga and Musalia Mudavadi addressing a Press
conference at the Okoa Kenya Secretariat offices in Nairobi on October
31, 2017. photo | dennis onsongo | nmg
Opposition leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday announced the
establishment of a people’s assembly, in a move that left a dark cloud
of political instability hanging over a country that is already weary of
a lengthy electoral season.
Mr Odinga said the
assembly would form the basis of his coalition’s opposition to President
Uhuru Kenyatta’s government, which he described as an illegitimate
product of a flawed electoral process.
“Sham elections
portend a president, who is in office unconstitutionally. A president
elected in this manner cannot legitimately exercise authority on behalf
of the people,” he said.
Political analysts reckoned
that Mr Odinga’s National Super Alliance’s (Nasa) decision to revert to
the popular movement in its war with the Kenyatta government is meant to
exercise people power against Jubilee’s tyranny of numbers in
Parliament and at county assemblies.
“We announce today
the establishment of a people’s assembly that will exist until a
legitimate presidency is formed,” he told journalists at the Okoa Kenya
offices in Nairobi.
While dismissing the October 26
elections as “a sham” with a 3.5 million voter turnout, Mr Odinga
however maintained that Nasa remained open to dialogue.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission declared
Uhuru Kenyatta the victor in the repeat presidential poll after he
polled 7.5 million of the 19.6 million registered voters.
On
the eve of the elections, Mr Odinga announced the transformation of
Nasa into the National Resistance Movement (NRM) even as he called on
his supporters to boycott goods of those affiliated to the Jubilee
coalition.
The
Nasa leader reiterated the call Tuesday, adding that the NRM will be
responsible for putting in place a vigorous programme for economic
boycott and peaceful protests, but fell short of naming any company.
Hardcore
Jubilee supporters immediately responded to Mr Odinga’s announcement
arguing that while the right to associate and meet is provided for under
the Constitution, the move smacked of treason or an attempt to
overthrow government.
Independent analysts, however,
termed such views extreme and premature arguing that the country should
wait and see what plan of action the assembly would come up with.
“The
government should wait until the assembly drafts its resolutions and
join in the conversation for the good of the country,” said Cyprian
Nyamwamu, a governance and political risk analyst at Future of Kenya
Foundation.
This is not the first time Kenya is
witnessing formation of a people’s assembly. In 1997, a similar
convergence contesting tribalism and corruption under President Daniel
arap Moi, met in Limuru.
Among the seven co-conveners
of the meeting were Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana, former chief
justice Willy Mutunga and opposition activist Tabitha Seii.
Part
of the 11 resolutions arrived at included an end to ethnic clashes, an
end to corruption and the drafting a people’s constitution. It was at
this meeting that the drafting of the 2010 Constitution began.
African
countries where the people’s assembly or the civil disobedience
achieved positive results are Benin, Togo and South Africa.
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