- Raila has asked his supporters to come to Nairobi on March 20 for grand demos in the city.
- The MPs asked Kindiki to beef up security.
Image: ENOS TECHE
MPs allied to President William Ruto hit at Azimio leader Raila Odinga over his planned mass action in Nairobi.
The lawmakers from the ruling Kenya Kwanza administration at the same time urged Interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki to beef up security to protect Kenyans and their properties.
Addressing a press conference at Parliament buildings, the MPs numbering 15 termed the street protests misplaced and an attempt to overthrow a legitimately elected government.
Led by Tharaka MP George Murugara, the lawmakers told Kenyans to resist opposition calls to join in the demonstrations claiming the masterminds of the demos as seeking their own interests.
“It is saddening that the country is once again being drawn into unnecessary and uncalled-for political bickering by an idle and desperate opposition that is hell-bent on fanning violence at every opportunity after being beaten hands down in the last elections,” Murugara said.
“We urge the interior Cabinet Secretary Kithure Kindiki who we know is up to the task, to ensure that peace-loving Kenyans are protected from all the evils being planned by the opposition.”
Raila who is making whirlwind tours across the country, charging his bases ahead of the Monday grand protests has maintained the President must address some of his demands including the high cost of living.
Since calling for mass action, at least five counties have gone to the streets in anti-government demos against the high cost of living.
The counties are Kisumu, Vihiga, Nyandarua, Migori and Narok.
Yesterday, the Ruto MPs claimed the end game of the protests is to force a handshake government through the backdoor.
“This is the highest level of intellectual laziness from the proponents of the maandamano who bear the greatest reasonability of the economic dilemma our nation is in courtesy of the handshake disaster,” Murugara added.
ODM national treasurer Timothy Bosire responding to the lawmakers urged Azimio leader Raila Odinga not to give in to pressure to abandon his anti-government protests.
The former Kitutu Masaba MP said the opposition leader had the best shot against the government to defend democracy and constitutionalism.
The ex-MP held that Raila should sustain the momentum against the government for the sake of the country and future generations.
"This is the moment, baba has demonstrated that he is leading from the front, he should keep the eye on the ball," he said.
Bosire said the MPs who are rebuking Raila are misguided and misadvised given the fact that, as the leader of the opposition, he is helping them in their oversight mandate.
"It is regrettable that some MPs are asking Baba to go slow, this is Raila's golden opportunity, he must not relent," Bosire said .