A day after the end of the campaign period, Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his running mate Martha Karua on Sunday retreated to church to seek God’s blessing ahead of tomorrow’s elections.
The pair attended the interdenominational prayer service where they sought divine intervention alongside their families and the coalition’s members at the KICC in Nairobi.
The duo exuded confidence at the solemn service that they will carry the day in tomorrow’s elections and vowed to unite the country and slay the dragon of corruption.
“We are confident that with this kind of prayer and the message that the Kenyan people have shown, the Kenyan people will speak loudly on Tuesday to show that this is the direction that they want to go,” Raila said.
The official campaign period ended at 6 pm on Saturday, being 48 hours to tomorrow’s elections in line with the IEBC guidelines.
Raila and Deputy President William Ruto are in a neck-and-neck contest to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta.
At their final rallies at Kasarani and Nyayo stadiums in Nairobi, Raila and Ruto expressed confidence in winning the polls and becoming the country’s fifth president.
The former Prime Minister, who was the only politician who spoke at the service, committed to a peaceful and united country.
Raila said that his administration if elected, will follow in the footsteps of Tanzanian’s founding President Julius Nyerere who ‘killed’ tribalism in his country.
“We want to see this country united. That is basically the essence of Azimio la Umoja One Kenya. That we want to create one Kenyan nation," he said.
“That our tribe is going to be a Kenyan tribe, all the others are subtribes. But you are a Kenyan first before you become a member of any other respective community."
Raila was accompanied by his wife Ida Odinga, children, and his brother Oburu Oginga while Martha was with her sister and grandchildren.
Also in attendance were Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, businessman SK Macharia, Cotu boss Francis Atwoli, Nairobi Governor Anne Kananu and her Murang’a counterpart Mwangi wa Iria.
Others were Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris, her Murang’a counterpart Sabina Chege, ODM Nairobi Senate candidate Edwin Sifuna, former Unctad secretary general Mukhisa Kituyi, Nominated Senator Rose Nyamunga and former Makadara MP Reuben Ndolo.
Raila spoke moments after the lead preacher, retired Bishop Boniface Adoyo, spoke on three key strongholds that have held Kenya hostage.
The three –blood, tribalism and corruption – the former head of the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya said, are curses from God and prayed for repentance and God’s forgiveness.
“What I see in Kenya is the blood of innocent victims crying to God for vengeance that created a curse for Kenya,” Adoyo said.
Citing the book of Genesis 4:10, the retired bishop narrated the biblical story of Cain who was cursed by God for killing his brother Abel.
“Do not be like Cain who was wicked and murdered his brother. Kenya, we must silence the blood from crying and never shed blood again," he said.
In explaining the curse of tribalism, bishop Adoyo gave the story of Jacob and Esau as narrated in the book of Numbers 20:14-21.
Esau, he said was cursed by God after he plotted to kill his brother and declined to help the Israelites who were led by his brother Jacob for safe passage from Egypt.
“God cursed descendants of Esau because he had ancient hatred. Kenya has been under a curse of an ancient hatred,” he said.
Raila said the preacher spoke to the heart of Azimio’s agenda.
“Those are the issues that we have been talking about during these campaigns. That we want a peaceful country. That no life should be lost at the hands of any other person,” Raila said.
(Edited by Tabnacha O)
“WATCH: The latest videos from the Star”