Raila returns after 4-day holiday in Zanzibar

Opposition chief Raila Odinga returned home on Wednesday evening after a four-day holiday in Tanzania’s highly coveted Zanzibar Islands.

While his next course of action remains unknown, Mr Odinga’s key strategy to counter Uhuru Kenyatta’s presidency through the creation of People’s Assembies suffered a blow after the High Court put an injunction to the passing of such motions in pro-Nasa county assemblies.

Mr Odinga had allegedly been pushed out of the country owing to the developments that preceded his arrival in Kenya form a ten-day tour in the United States.

Five people died in the procession to welcome Raila at the Jomo Kenyatta international Airport Friday last week.

Mr Odinga had on Friday last week arrived to a chaotic welcome at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport following a 10-day trip in the US.

On Sunday, Mr Odinga’s advisor Mr Salim Lome revealed to the New York Times that the former Premier had opted not be in the country during the deliberation by the Supreme Court over the legitimacy of President Uhuru Kenyatta after the highly divisive October 26 polls.

“The unrest pushed Mr Odinga out of the country. He left Kenya on Sunday night. He is in Zanzibar, off the coast of mainland Tanzania,” Mr Lome told the New York Times on Sunday.

As details of Mr Odinga’s mission in Tanzania remained undisclosed, confidential photos of Mr Odinga with yet another Kenyan lady living in Tanzania emerged causing an excitement on social media on Wednesday. The photos suggested that he was holidaying on the island.

After the chaos, which involved running battles with the police, teargas, live bullets, burnt cars and left five dead, Mr Odinga flew to Zanzibar due to what his long-time adviser Salim Lone said was the unrest in Kenya.

On Monday, National Super Alliance supporters who were opposing the decision by the Supreme Court to uphold the re-election of President Uhuru Kenyatta chanted in demonstrations on the roads demanding a word with “a way forward message.”

Mr Odinga, however, commenting on the unanimous ruling by the six Supreme Court judges on Monday through his adviser Mr Lome, said that the six judges acted “under duress.”

"It was a decision taken under duress. We do not condemn Supreme Court, we sympathize with it. We in NASA had repeatedly declared before this Supreme Court ruling today (November 20) that we consider this government to be illegitimate and do not recognize it. This position has not been changed by the Court ruling,” Mr Odinga said through his aide.