Azimio principal Martha Karua lost her cool with journalists during a press conference on Monday, December 5 at Raila Odinga’s Capitol Hill office.
Karua told off a journalist who asked the Azimio leaders to respond to claims made by President William Ruto and his deputy, Rigathi Gachagua.
The first question was whether Odinga was trying to use the nationwide protest to force Ruto into a handshake.
“Yesterday the Deputy President said that you are trying to mobilise Kenyans to pile pressure on the government so that you can have a handshake. What is your take on this?” a journalist posed.
“You surely do not expect our leader to be responding to everybody who says something unfounded. You better go back to that source to give you facts to show that what he is saying is true,” Karua responded.
A second journalist was not spared either when he sought to know why the opposition had not moved to court to challenge the actions of the government as suggested by Ruto.
“Earlier, the president challenged the Azimio leader to go to court if he felt like he had issues with his administration. Are you planning to take that route?” the media person asked.
“Since when did the competition become the senior advisor or a cheerleader? Let us be serious and let us do whatever people feel befits them in the position they stand. We reject unsolicited advice,” Karua replied.
Karua accused Ruto of being behind the resignation of Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Vice Chair Juliana Cherera and commissioner Justus Nyang’aya.
“What we can see is coercion and we can see the end game. The President wants a William Ruto electoral commission, this is what we must resist,” the Narc Kenya party leader claimed.
On his part, Raila clarified that the rallies will be consultative sessions and not demonstrations as insinuated by the government.
“If we wanted to do a protest, we would inform the police. We are not going to engage in any theft or hooliganism and no property is going to be destroyed.
“The government should not use this as an opportunity to bring goons to try to disrupt this function,” Odinga warned.
The Azimio leaders confirmed that they would hold parallel Jamuhuri Day celebrations at the Jacaranda Grounds on December 12.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE