‘I am prepared to pay the ultimate price’ – Raila
Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya leader Raila Odinga has stood firm and said he is ready to pay the price for 'liberating' Kenyans.
Speaking in Nakuru on Thursday, March 16, 2023, Raila who was accompanied by other leaders allied to the coalition strongly stood his ground that he will do whatever it takes to liberate the country from what he says is President William Ruto's illegitimate regime.
While taking a swipe at Deputy President Gachagua's remarks on how they plan to 'deal' with him, Raila affirmed that he will not in any way be cowed into quashing the planned mass actions. He opined that regardless of whether the government attempts to assassinate him, he is ready to pay the price.
"You can assassinate Raila Odinga physically, but you can never assassinate his ideas and the course on which he stands and I must say that I am prepared to pay the ultimate price if that will mean liberating the people of Kenya," he stated amidst a charged crowd.
He also threatened to sue the president for defaming his name after he accused him of being the mastermind behind the failed coup that occurred in 1982. Raila defended that the charges were dropped against him for lack of evidence and therefore Ruto was ruining his reputation.
"Ruto alinishtaki alisema maneno machafu ju yangu, nataka kumwambia manake labda bado alikua ananyonya mama yake, ukombozi wa nchi hii, ukombozi wa pili nilishtakiwa na treason, nilikaa kamiti miezi tisa, nikakaa mahakamani lakini mwishowe serikali ilishindwa kwa sababu hakukua na ushahidi wowote kwa hivyo hio kesi yangu yote ilitupiliwa mbali,
"I was discharged for lack of any evidence against me in 1983. Kwa hivyo bwana Ruto mimi sikua na malipo yoyote, serikali ilishindwa kunishtaki mimi wakalizimishwa kuniacha huru, hivyo basi mimi ntakushtaki wewe kwa kuharibu jina yangu," he stated.
The Azimio supremo who has employed a slew of tactics to pile pressure on President Ruto’s administration maintained that he successfully won the August 2022 presidential election and challenged the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to open the servers.
"Tuko na ushahidi kamili kua Ruto hakushinda, hii maneno haitaisha mpaka wakubali kufungua servers," Raila added.
Additionally, the opposition leader blasted digital strategist Dennis Itumbi for claiming that he had planned to sabotage Kikuyu-owned businesses through his mass actions.
Raila clarified that his team had no ill intentions of interfering with businesses, he wondered why IKtumb would imply that when the Kikuyus turned out in large numbers to vote for him.
"Msihangaishwe na hio poojo, sisi tutalinda bashara ya kila mkenya, wakikuyu ni wakenya, wakikuyu walinipigia kura nying zaidi, sisi hatuezi haribu biashara ya mtu yoyote," he added.
