Kenyan Diaspora Group Throws its Weight Behind Raila's January 30th Swearing-in

A group of National Super Alliance (Nasa) supporters in the diaspora has thrown its weight behind the inauguration of opposition leader Raila Odinga as the people's president, which is set for January 30th at Uhuru Park grounds in Nairobi.

Speaking during a meeting to endorse the swearing-in on Thursday, the United Kingdom-based group’s leader Ali Abdi said they will form their own people's assembly forum in solidarity with the coalition's push for electoral justice.

“In the year of 2018, it is our hope and belief that our nation will be liberated. We in the Diaspora have paid close attention and watched in anguish at the embarrassing revelation of what is now widely regarded around the world as a farcical political system,” Abdi said during the meeting held at a hotel in London.

The group further denounced Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto as President and Deputy President of the Republic of Kenya, stating they were not validly elected.

"Both the Kenyan and international law protects this right, yet we have witnessed the illegitimate Jubilee government bulldoze Kenyans through threats, arrests, intimidation, torture and murder," said Abdi.

“Unfortunately, we now have a country where majority of the population is struggling to make ends meet in a weakened economy with rising government debt, misappropriation and looting of public funds by high-ranking civil servants, strikes by doctors, nurses and lecturers due to non-adherence towards agreed upon terms of employment, university students’ strikes due to poor services and many others,”Abdi added.

Another representative, Tom Juma said Kenyans living abroad will not sit and watch their mother country revert to impunity and dictatorship.

“While pressing on in this journey towards the liberation of our nation, we encourage our brothers and sisters to continue boycotting of products produced by firms that fund the oppressive illegitimate government,” he said.

“We would like to assure all Kenyans that we in the Diaspora are fully supporting your course and have resolved to set up the Kenya Peoples Assembly in the Diaspora. We will be announcing concrete steps in the weeks to come," said Juma.