Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition presidential flagbearer Raila Odinga has appealed to his supporters to maintain calm and patience as he exuded confidence in the case he has filed at the Supreme Court challenging the presidential results.
Raila, who attended the inauguration ceremony of Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o, said it was only a matter of time before he claims what rightfully belongs to him.
Speaking at the Jomo Kenyatta International stadium, the ODM leader described devolution as a vital component that can transform the lives of Kenyans, if implemented correctly.
He said their aim was to ensure devolution work as intended. He recalled that devolution was resisted during fight for the new Constitution by those who believed in centralism but the will of the people prevailed.
This was the second time Nyong'o was sworn in as governor of the lake-city together with his deputy Mathew Owili.
Nyong'o got 319, 957 votes followed by former governor Jack Ranguma who got 100,600 votes.
It was the first time Raila was visiting the region since the Independent Electoral Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared his rival-Deputy president William Ruto as President-elect on a UDA ticket.
In his speech, Raila steered away from discussing matters involved in the case claiming that he did not want to be misinterpreted, but urged his supporters to stay optimistic as they wait for the verdict.
Using figurative language, Raila told his supporters that all will be well after the Supreme Court's verdict.
"But I have a short story for you. In our community if you go to hunt and find an antelope and use your spear to hit it you will definitely feel the impact on your hand. This the same case of hitting a bird and I can tell you I am feeling the impact on my hand right now, because the antelope is struggling in the bush, unconscious," he said.
The statement could be interpreted to mean that the ODM leader is confident that he won the elections and can still feel the grip of his win.
He said he was in charge and will ensure that the rot and misdeeds that took place during the election are unearthed.
"Be patient, it is only a few days. I am in charge in Nairobi and will ensure I unearth everything that happened. I will prove that our victory was stolen and this time round someone must be held accountable for it," he explained.
Raila filed a case with the Supreme Court to challenge the results of the 9th August presidential election in which his opponent, Ruto was declared the winner with 50.49 per cent of the vote. Ruto who has served as a deputy president since 2013, was named President-elect amidst protests from four of the seven electoral commissioners, who denounced the results, describing the process as opaque. They claimed the chairman of the electoral commission Wafula Chebukati had hijacked the process and declared the results unilaterally.
The former Prime Minister urged his Nyanza support base to remain optimistic as he pursues the case within the corridors of justice.
With governors across the country taking oath of office to mark another fresh chapter for devolution, Raila described it as a focal point for development. He expressed confidence that their coalition will push for better development in counties.
He said their coalition had won 24 counties out of possible 47 and would be control in the Council of Governors if they win Kakamega and Mombasa counties which are scheduled to hold their elections next week.
"Today is a great day for us Azimio family because as you all know we know, we won 24 county seats and with Mombasa and Kakamega pending we will have 26 governors. We want to improve governance at the level of counties," he said.
