Be Ready for Consequences, Government Tells Raila on Swearing-in Plan

Be ready for consequences, the government has told National Super Alliance (Nasa) leader Raila Odinga over the planned swearing in as the people's president, set for January 30th.

Speaking during a press briefing on Thursday, government spokesman Eric Kiraithe said the pending inauguration of the opposition leader will be a violation of the Constitution.

“The Constitution of this country is very clear. The law is very clear,” he said during his weekly briefing to journalists on Thursday.

“Anybody who says he will break the law…should expect consequences within the law.”

Earlier, Attorney General Githu Muigai cautioned NASA leaders that such plans would attract charges of high treason, which is punishable by death.

In an interview with Voice of America (VoA) on Wednesday, Odinga said he is ready to take oath as the People’s President and run a rival government from exile, if it means so.

However, Kiraithe insisted that time for politics is over and Kenyans should now focus on pushing the government to deliver its promises.

“My being sworn-in is a statement that an illegitimate government is in office and the legitimate government elected by the people is not in office,” he told VoA’s Kennedy Wandera.

“We will work like a government and appoint ministers even if we have to run the government in exile,” Odinga explained.

In response, Kiraithe said: “There are no political temperatures in this country, Kenyans have embarked on building their lives and politics are only relevant to the extent they are moving this country from one level of development to another.”

“It is not an issue of holding the country with useless propaganda internally from January to …we shall have elections in 2022.”