KENYA: Tension eases as opposition postpone “swearing-in” of alternate president Odinga

Tension has abated in Kenya after members of the opposition party reportedly postponed the swearing-in of an alternative president in the person of their leader Raila Odinga.

Reports say the postponement has now opened the door for a possible dialogue with the government of President Uhuru Kenyatta who emerged winner of the last polls with 98.2% of votes in an election marred by violence and boycott.

The National Super Alliance (NASA) party in a statement said it would postpone the swearing-in after “consultations and engagement with a wide range of national and international interlocutors”. It did not specifically name any mediators involved in the talks.

Read also: PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: Mainstream Kenyans feel cheated, toying with the idea of secession, Odinga says

55-year-old Kenyatta was sworn in to lead Kenya for a second and final five-year term at an event staged late last month which was witnessed by several heads of states and tens of thousands of his supporters.

Kenyatta was sworn in to lead Kenya after the Supreme Court upheld the presidential re-run election won by him.

The country’s apex court dismissed the case filed by the opposition, which boycotted the poll, clearing the way for Kenyatta to be sworn in for a second and final term in office.

 

 

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