Raila rallies Azimio for Saba Saba demos and signatures against Kenya Kwanza 'tyranny'

The Azimio leader said the protests will be held simultaneously in select towns across the country and a list would be released soon in preparation for their supporters to attend the meetings.

Speaking at the SKM Command Centre in Karen, Nairobi, yesterday, the opposition faulted the government for the worsening economy despite lofty promises ahead of last year's General Election.

"The people have had enough. There comes a time when being taken for granted becomes unbearable. There comes a time when being treated as fools becomes intolerable. That time has come," Raila said in a joint Azimio statement, signalling the start of the "third liberation".

"It is evident that we are dealing with a heartless tyrant who shows no regard for the people. We are determined to rectify this situation. Therefore, we are here to announce that our Kamukunji meeting will take place in Nairobi this Friday, as previously announced. However, this is not just a gathering in Nairobi; it is a nationwide Kamukunji where we will launch the Third Liberation," he added.

The former Prime Minister urged his supporters to stand against what he termed as dictatorship and reject newly imposed taxes, which he said have made the lives of Kenyans unbearable.

"Ruto is imposing taxes on us without our consent and making laws whose net effect is to make life increasingly difficult," he said.

"As a people, we are not given to suffer in silence; we do not kneel before dictators and beg for their mercy. Let us proceed with a bold determination that we are going to stick together and work together."

Raila urged supporters to turn up in large numbers at the Kamukunji Grounds to marks the start of a vehement opposition to the Kenya Kwanza Government arguing that the civil disobedience will entail a refusal to pay taxes in a bid to force President Ruto to repeal the Finance Act, 2023.

Anti-riot police dispersing university students during Saba Saba in Nairobi in July 1997. [File, Standard]

Although his Azimio coalition has haemmorhaged in recent months, recent rallies and protests have proven that he is still a crowd-puller. But the demonstrations have exposed the weaknesses many critics attribute to Raila, chief among them being that his resistance lacks clear objectives and a well-defined strategy for achieving its goals.

The messaging around Azimio's recent protests were confusing to many. On the one hand, the opposition sold them as meant to oust Ruto from office, promising a grand march to State House. On the other, Azimio explained it's intention as presenting a petition to the President, whose legitimacy the coalition's leadership questions.

It has been difficult to gauge the success of the protests, especially amid soaring commodity prices, an agenda that has kept Azimio busy in recent months.

Perhaps the most significant victory the opposition secured was Ruto's yielding to talks, but the talks have since collapsed as the President ignores opposition demands on electoral reforms and the reconstitution of the electoral commission.

Friday presents a major test to both Raila and Ruto. While the former premier is confronted with hopes of many of his supporters that things will change as a result of the rallies, many are waiting to see how Ruto will deal with opposition supporters.

The police have faced criticism over their handling of opposition protesters, meting fury on unarmed demonstrators, occasionally resulting in violent clashes that lead to the deaths of protesters.

The President recently said that he did not mind Raila's rallies and protests, suggesting that he only had a problem with the accompanying violence.

Ruto's counter-resistance, which has seen him weather whatever the opposition has thrown at him, is also on test.