Raila Claims He Won Elections

Prime Minister Mr Raila Odinga, who was the Coalition for Reform and Democracy (Cord) presidential candidate, on Monday claimed that he had won the March 4 General Election.

He said he garnered 5.7 million votes against the Jubilee candidate Mr Uhuru Kenyatta’s 4.5 million votes, but Mr Kenyatta was declared the winner prompting his coalition to move to the Supreme Court to contest the outcome.

However, he did not explain how he had arrived at the figures.

Cord is an alliance that brings together the PM’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper Democratic Movement (WDM) and Trade Minister Moses Wetangula’s Ford Kenya among other parties.

Cord, citing myriad anomalies, rejected the March 4 election outcome after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared Mr Kenyatta and his running mate Mr William Ruto as winners with 6.1 million votes against the Odinga-Musyoka ticket’s 5.3 million.

Cord on Saturday petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the result and order a fresh presidential election.

Addressing hundreds of Cord supporters at Kwa Hola in Changamwe enroute to Mombasa Island after he landed at Moi International Airport, Mr Odinga promised “great shocks” from the court.

Mr Odinga said the vote was stolen from him in 2007 prompting enraged Kenyans to pour onto the streets to dispute the results.

“In 2007 I won the General Election with 60,000 votes but the victory was robbed from us. This time round, we have said no, never again,” he said.

Using the proverbial wisdom of King Solomon, who judged a case between two women fighting over ownership of a baby, Mr Odinga said, “King Solomon suggested that the baby be split at the centre so that each of the women goes with one half”.

He continued, “However, the real mother told the King to give the baby to the fake mother because she could not bear the pain of the death of her baby. This is what I did in 2007. The fake mother took the baby, but this time round, Kenyans are saying ‘bring back our baby’”.

Mr Odinga led the crowd in chants of “bring back our baby, bring back our baby. We cannot accept injustice anymore,” which the crowd repeated in a chorus.

He said he was confident that the court would “bring the justice which Kenyans have been fighting for 50 years” in its judgment on the petition case.

Mr Odinga said: “My brother Uhuru you are still a young man. Your father was president of this country for 15 years and you should know that Kenyans cannot be ruled by force. Don’t force yourself to lead Kenya”.

Mr Odinga said he had come to the Coast to thank the residents for voting for him overwhelmingly. He urged them to remain patient as the court dealt with the election petition.

Mr Odinga said, “We won the election. I know in my inner heart that I am the winner. Even our opponents know in their inner hearts that they lost (the election)”.

He urged Kenyans to prepare for the shock of their lives from revelations on election fraud from the court saying “dirty things will come out”.

Mr Odinga who arrived in a private white jet was accompanied by Mr Ababu Namwamba, Mr Johnson Muthama and Mr Wycliff Oparanya among other top Cord leaders.

He was received by Coast leaders led by Mombasa Governor-elect Mr Ali Hassan Joho and his deputy governor Ms Hezel Katana. They included senator-elect Mr Hassan Omar Sarai, Kwale senator-elect Mr Boy Juma Boy, Mombasa and Kwale women representatives Ms Mishi Juma Hamisi and Ms Zainab Chidzuga, MPs-elect from Coast and other senior Cord leaders.

The Prime Minister was scheduled to meet all Coast leaders-elect at Sai Rock Beach Hotel later in the day.

- Daily Nation