Senior Counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi has made light of Narc party leader Martha Karua's call for Azimio leader Raila Odinga to declare March 20 a public holiday.
The lawyer said the former Azimio running-mate has seemingly not gotten over the illusions of power following their loss at the August 9 presidential election.
"I said many times Hon Martha Karua SC never recovered from the August 2022 loss," he said in a statement.
Karua on Tuesday asked Raila to declare the onset of their mass action a public holiday to enable Azimio supporters to participate in the anti-government demos.
Speaking during the Azimio public baraza in Siaya, the former Justice and Constitutional Affairs Minister said Azimio supporters need time off work to fight for their rights.
"March 20 is our day and I ask that Baba (Raila) should declare that day a public holiday. We cannot demonstrate demanding our rights and go to work," she said.
Raila heeded the call and made the declaration when he took to the podium.
"I hereby declare here today in the name of Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance Coalition that Monday the 20th of March will be a public holiday," Raila said.
The declaration is, however, untenable under the law since Raila does not wield such powers.
Section 3 of the Public Holidays Act bestows the mandate on the declaration of public holidays on the cabinet secretary in charge of the Interior Ministry.
"The minister may at any time if he thinks fit, by notice in the Gazette, declare any day to be a public holiday either in addition to the days mentioned in the Schedule or in substitution for any of those days."
Azimio has scheduled the onset of their mass action on March 20 to mount pressure on the Kenya Kwanza regime to lower the cost of living and institute electoral justice.
They have termed President William Ruto's administration as illegitimate, and accused it of rewarding cronies and imposing punitive tax measures on Kenyans.
Raila on Thursday last week launched what he termed as a campaign of defiance under the banner 'Movement for Defence of Democracy' aimed at pushing the government into submission.
"We have no more patience for an illegitimate regime of hypocrites and fake humanitarianism. We begin telling Ruto and Gachagua that we can’t keep living on false promises," Raila said.
