Raila to hold a public rally at the Kamukunji Grounds on Monday

ODM leader Raila Odinga meeting Nairobi branch delegates ahead of a consultative meeting on President William Ruto's administration later in the month. Nov 2, 2022. [Jonah Onyango, Standard]

Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya leader Raila Odinga has announced that he will hold a rally at the Kamukunji Grounds, when he jets back into the country on Monday, January 23.

Odinga has been in South Africa since January 13, where he held meetings as the AU High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa. He also held meetings with government leaders, NGOs and business leaders.

In a statement to newsrooms on Saturday, January 21, his spokesperson Dennis Onyango said that Odinga is expected to land at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 11 am Monday.

He will thereafter go to the Kamukunji Grounds for a People's Baraza with the public on recent disclosures by a whistleblower on the August 9, 2022 presidential election.

"Mr Odinga appeals to Kenyans to show up in large numbers at the Kamukunji Baraza, in the interest of the country," said Onyango.

The Azimio team alleges that the presidential election outcome was altered in favour of President William Ruto.

According to Azimio, Odinga got 8.1 million votes while Ruto got 5.9 million votes in the August 2022 presidential polls. They attributed the information to the alleged IEBC whistleblower.

However, official IEBC results indicated that Ruto got 7.18 million votes (50.49 per cent) against Odinga's 6.94 million (48.85 per cent) to be declared the winner.

Odinga, in December 2022, had announced that the Azimio coalition would hold a series of anti-government protests over the high cost of living, state capture on the judiciary, removal of four IEBC commissioners and unmet promises by the Kenya Kwanza government.

The coalition was to hold parallel Jamhuri Day celebrations at the Jacaranda grounds, which would have been the first of several rallies they had planned across the country.

The planned rally was postponed, with ODM Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi saying that Odinga was engaged elsewhere.

Wandayi said that the coalition would continue with the dialogue with Kenyans in public and in private in the coming months.