Kenya's opposition leader Raila Odinga on Tuesday rejected outright the upshot of terminal week's "sham" election, vowing to cope on after the protest-hit poll that handed President Uhuru Kenyatta a landslide win.
"This election must non stand. If allowed to stand, it volition brand a consummate mockery of elections," he said inwards his get remarks on Thursday's presidential re-run, which his supporters boycotted en masse.
Without change, "elections volition operate coronation rituals," Odinga warned.
The vote, which saw Kenyatta winning alongside 98 pct of the votes cast, was the chaotic climax of ii months of political drama together with acrimony triggered past times the Supreme Court's overturning of an initial August poll over widespread irregularities.
But Odinga did non state whether he would in 1 lawsuit over again petition the Supreme Court to get got the vote annulled, equally he did dorsum inwards August.
"We shall encounter to it that nosotros acquit a free, fair together with credible election equally ordered past times the Supreme Court," Odinga said.
He spelt out a drive of non-violent protestation together with disobedience that would ensure the authorities would get got "no peace" together with then long equally at that topographic point was no change.
The remarks are probable to extend the political dubiety that has paralysed the dry reason since September 1.
Despite his successful bid to throw out the results of the August election, Odinga withdrew from the re-run to a greater extent than or less ii weeks beforehand, citing concerns the novel vote would endure neither costless nor fair.
"The Supreme Court ordered a repeat election held inwards compliance alongside the constitution together with the law. The gild has non been complied with... It is inwards our best involvement that nosotros create together with then sooner rather than later," he said.
Last week, the 72-year-old leader pledged to transform his National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition into "a resistance movement" that would spearhead a drive of "civil disobedience."
On Tuesday, he position out plans for a programme of "vigorous" political activeness including "economic boycotts, peaceful processions, picketing together with other legitimate protests."
"If at that topographic point is no jurist for the people, allow at that topographic point endure no peace for the government," he declared.
- New strategy needed -
In his victory speech communication on Monday, Kenyatta hailed the upshot equally vindication of his triumph inwards the August poll which was subsequently overturned.
But it proved to endure a bittersweet victory.
Turnout was simply 38.8 percent, marring the credibility of a vote that has deeply polarised the East African nation, sparking months of bitter infighting, legal wrangling together with trigger-happy protest.
In an editorial, Kenya's Daily Nation said that Odinga's NASA coalition needed to "rethink its strategy".
"It is non tenable to operate on alongside street protests at a fourth dimension the acre is haemorrhage together with hurting," it said of the trigger-happy demonstrations that prevented polling inwards iv western counties, prompting ii days of running battles alongside safety forces that left nine dead.
- 'Not create for dialogue' -
If anyone had a work alongside the election result, "please let's operate dorsum to the courts together with heighten whatever concerns," said one-time South African president Thabo Mbeki who headed the African Union (AU) Election Observer Mission inwards Kenya.
Kenyan commentator Macharia Gaitho said the determination of the elections, yet flawed had "shifted the playing champaign to Jubilee's advantage".
"We saw from Mr Kenyatta´s credence speech communication Mon that he is non create for dialogue. The reality is that failure to deed at in 1 lawsuit volition endure a deliberate refusal to address the festering sores that muddied our politics. Those sores volition endure the trigger for continuing violence, instability together with national decline."
Aside from to a greater extent than or less scuffles on Mon after the announcement, things get got been largely calm over the weekend.
Security was farther stepped upwards across the dry reason on Tuesday equally to a greater extent than than a 1000000 pupils aged betwixt thirteen together with xv began sitting their Republic of Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) exams.
The political crisis is the worst to striking the dry reason since a 2007 vote sparked months of politically-driven ethnic violence that left 1,100 people dead.
AFP