A major showdown looms tomorrow between the opposition NASA and the police over a planned
parallel prayer event to President Uhuru Kenyatta's swearing-in.
The police yesterday vowed that they will not allow the rally to go on, a situation that
is likely to be a replica of the recent running battles between NASA supporters welcoming their leader Raila Odinga at the airport from his US visit and the police, after warning the opposition against holding the procession.
NASA has announced it will hold a memorial prayer rally for victims of police brutality in Jacaranda Grounds, Embakasi East constituency, while President-elect Uhuru and his deputy William Ruto will be sworn in at the Kasarani Stadium.
Read:
The opposition's plan to hold rallies or processions in Nairobi has on several occasions seen them lock horns with the police either restricting them from accessing particular places or banning the events on alleged NASA failure to notify the cops as per the law.
Nairobi Police Commander Japheth Koome has said several city roads to be used by high-profile guests attending the Kasarani Inauguration will be under tight security by a multi-agency operation.
Military and General Service Unit officers will man Mombasa Road, Uhuru Highway, Museum Hill and the Aga Khan Hospital areas, Wangari Maathai Road and the Thika Superhighway to avert any security threat on visitors and citizens.
The Kenya Red Cross Society will also be on standby in the multi-agency police operation of securing the roads.
NASA on Saturday notified the police about its Jacaranda Grounds function, but Koome, who spoke to Star on the phone yesterday, said the venue would be a no-go zone, while insisting that the coalition has not notified the area OCS.
NASA's lawyer Edwin Sifuna wrote to the Embakasi Station OCS James Ekwenye and copied the notification letter to Koome.
“Our clients shall hold a memorial on Tuesday 28th November 2017 at Jacaranda Grounds within Nairobi County for the 25 innocent Kenyans who met their untimely deaths at the hands of police and regime sponsored killer gangs in the past few weeks,” reads the letter.
“You are hereby notified of the same and requested to provide security during the said memorial to ensure the safety of all those who will attend and the public in general.”
NASA warns the police against attempting to disrupt the meeting by applying force and brutality.
“The coalition shall hold you and your officers personally responsible for any harm that shall come to any of its supporters or attendees during the memorial,” the letter reads.
Koome dismissed the letter, saying the planned prayer event is illegal. He holds that NASA notified the wrong area police boss instead of notifying the Soweto Station OCS, under whose jurisdiction Jacaranda Grounds falls.
“Babu Owino is the area MP and he must be very well aware that this area is in Soweto. They should stop lying to Kenyans that they have notified the police. Anyone going there will be doing so at their own risk,” Koome said.
Inspector General of Police Joseph Boinnet refused to speak on NASA's planned rally and instead told a Star reporter to seek comments from Koome.
“The law says anyone planning to hold any procession, public meeting or demonstration should notify the OCS of the area at least 24 hours before the scheduled time for the event,” Koome said.
He warned that police will quell any attempt by NASA to proceed with the event because it will be violating the rule of law and public order.
NASA chief executive officer Norman Magaya, however, indicted Koome for plotting to disrupt the meeting and insisted that they are done with notifying the police.
“Koome is just playing games. If he wants to break up the meeting, it is fine let's meet there and break it up. We have been compiling a long list of people who are being killed on his orders,” Magaya said.
He added,“The international crimes against humanity are applicable in this country and we are going to sue no other person other than Japheth Koome himself.”
Read:
Raila, his NASA co-principal Musalia Mudavadi and opposition lawmakers on Saturday during a Maanzoni Lodge leadership forum in Machakos County vehemently denounced Uhuru’s presidency.
The leaders maintained that together with their supporters, they did not “individually or collectively” delegate their sovereignty to Uhuru as Kenya's head of state and government.
As of last evening, the State was still tight-lipped on the
list of heads of states and governments who will attend President-elect Uhuru Kenyatta’s swearing-in ceremony.
Only Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President John Magufuli of Tanzania are reported
to have confirmed that they will attend the ceremony.
The Times of Israel newspaper reported on Wednesday last week that Netanyahu will fly in tomorrow
morning and leave after the ceremony, which, according to multiple sources, is expected to be attended by over 20 heads of state and governments.
Unlike in 2013, where there was a power handover from then President Kibaki to President-elect Uhuru, this time round there is no such colour.
Sources in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Presidency told the Star yesterday that a number of Presidents from the African Union would attend.
“The dignitaries who have confirmed they will attend remain a guarded secret maybe for security reasons, but what I know is that a number of leaders from AU nations, and more so East Africa, will be present,” a senior official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Star.
Tomorrow, Uhuru
will be the last dignitary to arrive at the 60,000-seater International Sports Centre
Kasarani, for
the swearing-in ceremony that the law decrees must take place in broad daylight, between 10am and 2pm.
But before the main event, there will be prayers from the different religions.
Read:
Uhuru will, during the swearing-in ceremony, take and subscribe to the oath or affirmation of allegiance and the oath or affirmation for the execution of the functions of the President.
Chief Registrar of the Judiciary Anne Amadi
will administer the oaths, witnessed by Chief Justice David Maraga, or, in the absence of the CJ, in the presence of Deputy Chief Justice Philomena Mwilu.
Yesterday Uhuru and Ruto urged politicians to use the country’s diversity for the national good instead of abusing it for personal gain.
Speaking when they attended a thanksgiving Sunday service at the Redeemed Gospel Church in Huruma, Nairobi, Uhuru said hat the celebrations at Kasarani will not be about him and winning an election but Kenyans celebrating their diversity, peace and unity.
The President pointed out that, Kenya being a democracy, it is normal to compete for political positions but the competition should not be based on ethnicity, race or tribe but ideas that will lift the lives of Kenyans.
The President added, “Within the political world, it is normal to have political differences but that does not mean we can’t co-exist and live together in peace".
DP Ruto said, “Today, let us all resolve that we will refuse hate, resist negative ethnicity and reject divisive politics so that we can live together as one people – the people of the great nation of Kenya”.