ANXIETY as Raila postpones the big announcement

The opposition National Super Alliance (NASA) now says that it will address the nation on Wednesday, August 16 on the next move it will take after the coalition contested the August 8 poll results that declared Jubilee’s President Uhuru Kenyatta winner, an address that will either ease or prolong the political tension in the country.

Opposition leader, Raila Odinga, has since insisted that he was denied victory and that Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) results transmission servers were hacked to rig in President Kenyatta, something that led to his supporters in NASA heartlands of Kisumu, Homa Bay, Migori and some parts of Nairobi to stage protests that have led to the death of at least 24 people.

Through a statement to the media, NASA says that significant consultations between a series of stakeholders needed to be done first before coining the next move for a coalition that have previously vowed not to go to courts to petition election malpractice again.

“Owing to the urgency, complexity and delicate nature of the issue NASA Summit is handling, our consultations are on-going and progressing well though they are taking longer than anticipated. NASA will therefore not address Kenyans as projected today but will issue a comprehensive statement to the nation tomorrow,” read the statement.

This is the fourth time the Mr. Odinga has run for the highest office in the country, crying foul in the 2007 and now 2013 general polls.

However, Kenyans have expressed concerns over the conspicuous absence of other Raila Odinga’s running-mate Kalonzo Musyoka and co-principals Moses Wetangula and Isaac Ruto in the recent press conferences and rallies the coalition has held.

Mr. Odinga has also been dealt a major blow, with the international community seen to have accepted the re-election of President Kenyattta.

Presidents Paul Kagame of Rwanda, Yoweri Museveni of Uganda, John Magufuli of Tanzania, Pierre Nkurunzinza of Burundi, Donald Trump of the United States as well as the British government have already sent congratulatory messages to President Kenyatta.

Further, both local and international election observers groups seem to be reading from the same script in conquering with IEBC’s presidential results, urging Mr. Odinga to concede defeat as the polls were free, fair and transparent.

They include the European union Election Observers Group, the Carter Center led by former US Secretary of State John Kerry, Commonwealth Group led by Former Ghanaian President Dramani Mahama and African Union Observers group led by Former South African President Thabo Mbeki.