NASA leader Raila Odinga alongside fellow leaders addresses the press, November 18, 2017. [Photo|ODM]
NASA leader Raila Odinga has said his heart is filled with pain following Friday's fracas after police disrupted his welcoming ceremony from the US.Raila acknowledged that hundreds of thousands of Kenyans braved the desperate acts of lawless repression and blockading of their settlements and roads to come greet and escort him from the airport."But your courage and conviction came at a very steep price. Many who left their homes early in the morning with joy in their hearts but never returned home to their families and other loved ones. Others still lie in hospitals," Odinga said, adding that: "This was the deadliest day ever since PEV in 2007."Addressing the press on Saturday, Odinga said there is immense sadness in the country for those who perished. "But to them I say: not a single one of you will be forgotten. You did not die in vain. You sacrificed your lives for the cause of democracy as it gave you the freedom to choose your leaders and determine the direction of your country. So, you and hundreds of thousands of others fearlessly pushed past the barricades and the heavily armed security forces arrayed against you."He said the needless brutality and deaths showed all once again that Jubilee regime opposes democratic choice as it cannot compete against the rest of us. "So yesterday it decided that the two more of the three core pillars of Democracy could be dispensed with: freedom of assembly and the free press.""So, you were banned from coming to the airport as it would demonstrate the vast support Nasa has, and because your vast numbers would contrast with his abysmal October 26 turnout," he said flanked by other NASA leaders.