Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Kenya’s Opposition Leader Decides to Take Election Dispute to Supreme Court | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page
Media ID: 55381146
Caption:

Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga of the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition addresses supporters after he was announced as the presidential candidate for the 2017 general elections during a rally at the Uhuru Park grounds, in Nairobi, Kenya, April 27, 2017. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya


Kenya’s Opposition leader Raila Odinga said Wednesday he would take his claims that presidential election was rigged to the Supreme Court, after previously refusing to do so, and vowed to protest peacefully.

Odinga has charged that last Tuesday’s election was rigged in favor of incumbent Uhuru Kenyatta through the hacking and manipulation of the electronic vote counting system.

According to AFP, he also called for peaceful forms of protest, recalling that the rights to demonstrate, strike and carry out acts of civil disobedience were enshrined in the constitution.

“We have now decided to move to the Supreme Court and lay before the world the making of a computer-generated leadership,” he told journalists.

“We will preach peace… we will uphold our rights to assemble and protest. We shall hold vigils, moments of silence, beat drums and do everything else to peacefully draw attention to the gross electoral injustices … and demand redress,” he said.

“Kenyans have no need to use violence to achieve justice.”