[Opposition chief Raila Odinga. He has called on Kenya's international partners to help resolve the country's political crisis. Courtesy: The Star]
Opposition coalition NASA leader Raila Odinga has now said that he is deeply concerned about the country's political and economic direction.
In an exclusive interview with The Standard Newspaper, the Opposition chief warned IEBC Chair Wafula Chebukati against proceeding with October 26 presidential repeat polls, observing that it could amount to an affront to the law.
“When we wrote to the IEBC for my withdrawal, it meant they have to organise fresh election in 90 days. There will be no elections on October 26, that should be clear,” he said.
Raila remarked that the current political stalemate is hurting the country's economy and has since occasioned financial suffering.
“The stalemate will hurt the investors. IEBC and Jubilee have the capacity to unlock this to steer the country back to normalcy,” he said.
The Opposition chief called on Kenya's allies to intervene and help resolve the standoff, a move that President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto have vehemently opposed.
“Kenya needs its international partners, who have been its great friends in the past, to support Kenyans in this struggle to protect and defend its democratic institutions and processes. Our partners enjoy enormous respect for the role they played in helping us overcome the decades-long yoke of one party rule in the 1990s,” he said.
“It is vital for Kenya’s friends and economic partners to realise that the crisis in Kenya is not only about who was or will be the next lawfully elected President of our great nation. The real crisis is that those in power have abundantly shown -- before, during and after this utterly failed election -- their determination to hold on to power by any and all means,” he added.