Hundreds of Kisumu residents and ODM supporters on Monday took to the streets protesting EACC’s move to summon Cord leader Raila Odinga.
Wielding twigs, the protesters chanted pro-Raila and ODM slogans as they marched from Kondele to Kisumu Central Business District.
They made their way to the Western Kenya Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission offices at Jubilee Plaza chanting anti-EACC slogans.
The demonstrators, however, did not present a petition as earlier planned as the Commission’s CEO Halakhe Waqo had already announced that they were no longer pursuing the Cord leader.
Waqo said the Commission had stopped its pursuit of Raila after “he submitted a statement on his claims about the Eurobond.”
Kisumu County ODM chairman Dave Okwach and ODM activist Omondi Gwonyo had earlier declared that party supporters would take to the streets to protest against any plans by EACC to arrest Raila.
He said Raila will not be intimidated to appear before the EACC and the police and “will only do so if he so wishes.”
On Sunday, Okwach said the decision to protest was “because we believe that EACC as currently constituted cannot legitimately probe the controversial Eurobond.”
Gwonyo said Raila should instead be protected as a whistle blower over the alleged loss of Sh140 billion Eurobond instead of compelling him to record a statement.
“It is quite absurd that EACC was trying to intimidate a whistle blower instead of offering him the protection he deserves,” said the Uriri Parliamentary hopeful.
EACC Chief Inspector Fredrick Mwangi last Thursday directed that Raila should be at the EACC offices on Monday 10 am failure to which he would be liable for prosecution.
Raila has claimed for weeks that the government lost Sh140 billion of the Eurobond’s proceeds, prompting an investigations order by Director of Public Prosecutions Keriako Tobiko.
He declined to appear at Integrity Centre, the EACC headquarters, even as his lawyers dismissed the threat and summons, saying the Cord leader was protected as a whistleblower by law.
-the-star.co.ke
