Azimio Coalition made a last-minute change to the dress code for the supporters who will be attending the Monday, March 20, mass rally.
Announcing the changes, Jubilee Party Secretary General Jeremiah Kioni revealed that they were acting on intelligence reports.
In a statement that was endorsed by Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Kioni urged all Azimio supporters to ditch party colours while attending rallies.
“To all our Jubilee and Azimio supporters, we have information that our rivals have illegally acquired Jubilee T-Shirts and other materials to impersonate our party members to cause violence," the Jubilee SG stated.
In that regard, all Azimio supporters were warned not to wear their respective party colours.
Supporting Kioni’s statement, ODM party leadership also maintained that they were planning to hold peaceful protests.
“Kenyans will hold peaceful demonstrations tomorrow. It is a constitutional right.
“Our rivals have acquired shirts with ODM/Azimio colours to be worn by their hired supporters to cause mayhem. We want to warn them that no one from our side will wear party colours,” the Party remarked on the dress code changes.
Azimio is holding a rally to pressure President William Ruto to lower the cost of living and also to have the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) open its election servers for audit.
The ruling party United Democratic Alliance on Sunday, March 19, announced it will hold a parallel rally to counter Azimio demonstrations.
“We are expecting at least 20,000 people in tomorrow's picketing on Karen, Kitisuru, and Lower Kabete roads leading to the following homesteads; Raila Odinga, Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, Martha Karua, and Eugene Wamalwa,” UDA announced.
Nairobi Business Community also revealed that it will be holding a parallel rally to Azimio in what they termed a move to protect their investments.
"We will stop at nothing to protect our investments, women and children," they stated.
Interior Cabinet Secretary (CS) while giving a nod to the planned rallies warned that the responsibility to maintain law and order lay on the shoulders of the organizers.
“The responsibility to ensure that assemblers, protestors, picketers and petitioners are peaceable, unarmed and orderly is on the organizers and leaders of the activity,” the CS warned.
