Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has come out to explain why he will not be attending the inauguration if Dr. William Ruto as the fifth president of Kenya.
Raila acknowledged that he had received an invitation from Dr. Ruto to attend the ceremony, but he will be unavailable because he is outside the country.
“This evening, received a letter and a telephone call from HE Dr. William Ruto inviting me to his inauguration set for tomorrow, September 11, 2022. I regret however that I will not be available for the inauguration because I am out of the country,” he said.
Raila further said that he still holds concerns that the 2022 presidential election was not fair and just despite the Supreme Court upholding Dr. Ruto’s win.
“First, I believe that the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, the body in charge of our elections, did not conduct a free and fair election,” he added.
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“Secondly, I believe that the ruling of the Supreme Court was not based on the facts and the law, even though we accepted it.”
Raila further claimed that the results of the presidential vote remained unclear and he would be giving the way forward once he returns to the country.
“Outcome of the election remains indeterminate. Once I return to the country, I will, jointly with Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party leaders, announce our next steps as we seek to deepen and strengthen our democracy,” he said.
He hinted that he would be pushing for reforms to certain institutions.
“We can only do so if we reform and transform the key institutions that are charged with protecting and advancing our democracy,” said Raila.
Raila garnered 48.85 per cent of the total valid votes while Dr. Ruto garnered 50.5 per cent to win the presidency.
We can just go on with the kind of a work that you were doing