Nasa leader Raila Odinga on Sunday hit out at western envoys led by US ambassador Robert Godec after calls that he should accept the legitimacy of President Uhuru Kenyatta.

Mr Odinga, who last month ‘took the oath of office as the people’s president’, asked the diplomats to keep off Kenyan politics and said that Kenyans are capable of solving their problems internally.

LAW

Mr Godec, UK’s High Commissioner Nic Hailey and Sara Hradecky of Canada on Saturday warned that Kenya risks plunging into a political should both the government and the Opposition continue disobeying the law.

They said Mr Odinga risks ruining his legacy if he continues disregarding the leadership of President Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto.

But Mr Odinga accused the envoys of serving self-interests after they endorsed the August 8, 2017 presidential election and the repeat October voting.

ELECTIONS

The August polls were annulled by a majority decision of the Supreme Court on grounds of illegalities and irregularities committed by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). The Apex court, however, upheld the win of President Kenyatta in the October election, which was boycotted by Mr Odinga.

Mr Odinga spoke in Lang’ata while visiting residents whose houses were razed by a fire last month that killed at least four people.

He said that Kenya was an independent country guided by the Constitution.

The diplomats, Mr Odinga argued, were observers and should stick to that role.

The Nasa leader said the envoys should only offer advice when needed.

LEADERS

Kenyans do not dictate to any European country who their leader should be, he added.

“We want to tell them in clear terms that Kenya is an independent country and the problems of Kenya will be solved by Kenyans themselves. They can only be, but observers,” said Mr Odinga.

“Their only interest is to do business at the behest of their countries. They are not interested in our democracy. Kenyans saw the role of the international observers on the 8 August and the kind of statement that they came up with,” he added.

He was accompanied by a Nasa MPs Simba Arati (Dagoretti North), TJ Kajwang (Ruaraka) and George Aladwa (Makadara).

CRITICISED

Mr Odinga said that prior to the repeat October polls, Mr Chebukati was on record saying that IEBC was not prepared and ready to conduct the polls.

He said the statement was contradicted by the envoys who argued that the preparations were adequate.

Mr Odinga said Nasa will not allow the country to go back to the colonial days when the country’s leadership was determined by western nations.

“So they cannot come out now as independent observers to try and lecture Kenyans about democracy. Kenyans will solve the Kenyan problems themselves. We do not need advice from the American Ambassador or from the British High Commissioner,” he said.

DONATIONS

Earlier, Mr Odinga donated mattresses and blankets to the residents left homeless by the Lang’atafire.

He accused “land grabbers” of being behind the fire.

“Those who want to grab land here must know that we will not allow them to send our people into the cold,” he said.

Mr Kajwang accused the government of using retrogressive steps in arresting him, Mr Aladwa and lawyer Miguna Miguna over Mr Odinga’s “swearing in”