Raila changes tune on planned mass protest march to State House on March 20

Azimio La Umoja leader Raila Odinga has changed his position regarding the planned State House march, which is scheduled to take place on Monday, March 20.

Odinga has said that there won't be a mass protest to State House as anticipated by his supporters.

Instead, he stated that Azimio will send a delegation to deliver their message to President William Ruto at State House while protests continue in Nairobi's Central Business District (CBD).

He added that if delegates are allowed to enter, they will deliver the message. However, if not, they will leave it at the door.

"We will send a few people to State House to deliver our message, not a crowd, only a few people will deliver the petition I am not even sure whether I will be among them," Raila said in a joint media interview.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga addressing his supporters in Kiambu on Friday, March 17, 2023 Pulse Live Kenya

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Odinga however affirmed that the planned protests will commence on the same day and continue throughout the year.

For those outside Nairobi, Odinga said they can present memoranda to their respective national government offices across the 47 counties. He insisted that the protests would be peaceful and that his coalition would not stop until the demands presented to President Ruto's government are met.

"We are people who understand and obey the law, our party chairman Wycliffe Oparanya has written to the Inspector general of police and informed him that the protests will be peaceful," Odinga noted.

Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga during a past rally Pulse Live Kenya

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When asked about the next course of action after the Monday protests, Odinga stated that the coalition would decide afterwards.

The former prime minister said the protests would only come to a halt after their demands to President Ruto are met.

Odinga said that the Azimio Coalition had resorted to protests after the lapse of the 14-day ultimatum with their demands not having been met.

"If Ruto wanted to talk, he would have. We gave him 14 days to get back but he didn’t, he refused and only addressed us on television. His deputy talks proudly and uses demeaning language," he stated.

Odinga further said he is not interested in joining the Ruto government and asked Kenyans to rule out the possibility of a handshake.