Raila Odinga, the leader of the ODM party, has reiterated demands for the reparations of those harmed by political demonstrations that began in 2023.
Speaking during a consultative meeting with ODM leaders in Mombasa on Sunday, March 2, Raila insisted that individuals who sustained injuries during the Azimio protests of 2023 should be compensated.
In a similar vein, Raila expanded his requests to include victims of the 2024 Gen Z protests, highlighting the need for financial compensation for injured youth and the families of those killed.
“The youth who sustained injuries and parents of those who died in 2023 during the Azimio protests and the Gen Z protests of last year have to be compensated,” Raila said.
“We are establishing those conditions. The fact that such incidents shouldn’t occur in our nation, however, is what matters most.
The Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya group, led by Raila Odinga, organized a wave of statewide protests in 2023. Disagreements about the 2022 presidential election were the main cause of the protests, with the growing cost of living following as a secondary demand.
Reports suggest that scores of people were killed during the March–August 2023 protests, which had a long-lasting detrimental effect on both Kenya’s economy and people’s lives.
Through the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO), the government and Azimio eventually held talks, but since then, the talks have stopped as rifts within the Azimio alliance have surfaced.
Following his unsuccessful effort to become the chairperson of the African Union, Raila’s most recent comments came amid a sea of uncertainty regarding his next political move. He has been quick to criticize President William Ruto’s administration, probably in an effort to be somewhat unbiased, even if he is on good terms with the Kenya Kwanza government.
Raila also criticized the Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza administration in January, when kidnappings were at their worst, and urged the government to maintain honesty.
A political tempest is developing in the meantime as Raila’s supporters keep interacting with the camp of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua in an attempt to defeat Ruto in the next election.
Gachagua said on Sunday that despite his unsuccessful attempt for the AUC, Raila’s influence was remained enormous and that the former prime minister was the secret to Ruto’s future political success. “Raila Odinga is currently keeping the President alive. “It will be the end if we turn it off,” Gachagua declared audaciously.
