Seven ODM MPs Declare They Will Not Attend Monday Demos

A section of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) legislators have said they will not attend Monday protests.

MPs Gideon Ochanda, Mark Nyamita, Caroli Omondi, Paul Abuor, Elisha Odhiambo, Felix Jalango and Senator Tom Ojienda on Friday said they will not be part of the demos that will be led by their party leader Raila Odinga.

The lawmakers also urged their constituents not to show up for the demos and asked those who will take part to go back to their normal lives as soon as possible.

“We firmly believe that the current economic challenges facing Kenya will not be resolved by political confrontation and other forms of political partisanship. It is time to have a National Economic Dialogue to find solutions to our collective economic challenges. Let our political competition be at the level of competing economic ideas,” they said.

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They added: “We want to categorically state that we the undersigned will not be participating in the planned demonstrations. We equally urge our constituents to do likewise. We encourage those who will join the demonstrations to return to their normal economic and social activities as soon as possible, especially those who engage in farming, to take advantage of the current rains to plough and plant.”

The legislators said it was time to “have a national economic dialogue to find solutions to our collective economic challenges. Let our political competition be at the level of competing economic ideas”.

They urged those who will show up for the demos to exercise their constitutional granted right to picket and demonstrate but to refrain from infringing on the rights of others.

“We therefore wish to encourage all Kenyans who wish to participate in the demonstrations planned for next week, to do so peacefully and in a manner that strengthens democratic rule and does not encourage anarchy and breakdown of law and order,” said Mr Omondi.

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They urged the nation’s political elite to use communication and deliberation to find solutions to the problems facing the country.

Raila has called for protests in Nairobi on Monday over a number of issues, including the high cost of living, tribalism in state appointments, the unilateral appointment of new IEBC commissioners, an audit of the IEBC servers used for the 2022 General Election, an attack on multiparty democracy.