Tuesday demos will begin at Central Park from 6am – Raila

Raila said the march will be in exercise of Article 37 of the Constitution

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• He said protesters will converge at Central Park and head to IEBC headquarters at Anniversary Towers, Office of the President at Harambee House, the National Treasury and Public Service Commission to present petitions. 

Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga
Image: COURTESY

Azimio leader Raila Odinga has said Tuesday's mass protests will begin at 6am.

He said protesters will converge at Central Park and head to IEBC headquarters at Anniversary Towers, Office of the President at Harambee House, the National Treasury and Public Service Commission to present petitions. 

Raila said the march will be in exercise of Article 37 of the Constitution which grants them the freedom to peaceably and unarmed, to assemble, to demonstrate, to picket and to present petitions to public authorities.

"There are no businesses along the streets therefore nobody should come up to the streets that they are going to protect anyone there tomorrow."

Raila reiterated that they have a right to hold their demonstrations amid warning from government, noting that the Constitution has not been suspended.

Raila reaffirmed that the demos will be peaceful, allaying fears by the government and police that the protests will not be allowed for fear of chaos and violence. 

"Nobody shall be allowed to carry any weapon. Nobody should try to interfere with anybody's private business," Raila said. 

Police have since declared the planned protest's illegal citing probably violence, chaos and looting of property. 

"We wish to notify the public that the planned demonstration or assembly is unlawful and affirm our earlier unequivocal statements condemning violent protests and the public attacks on law enforcement officers on duty," Deputy Inspector General of Police Noor Gabow said in a statement on Monday.

Police issued a similar statement over the weekend and warned the Azimio against attempting to venture into the Central Business District on Tuesday.

Gabow said the recent Azimio protests have been characterised by criminal incidents including arson, robbery, looting, injury to officers and even death.

In his statement, Raila said it was ironical for police to decide in advance that there was going to be violence on Tuesday.

"That is the making of dictatorship. It amounts to suspension of the Constitution. We will resist," he said.

Raila said the violence witnessed before was occasioned by the police and hired goons who invaded the Northlands farm and the East Africa Spectre Limited.

Raila reassured that there was going to be no destruction of property on Tuesday.

"Our people have been told to be peaceful. They are not even going to go to where people's properties are. We are not going to markets, we are not going to shops," he said.

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