Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga will not be attending today’s inauguration of Dr William Ruto as Kenya’s fifth president.
Odinga was among dignitaries that Dr Ruto personally invited to attend his swearing-in.
But in a statement, he has said that he will not be available for the inauguration.
He went further to list a number of reasons he will not attend the national function.
“This evening, I received a letter and a telephone call from H.E Dr. William Ruto inviting me to his inauguration set for tomorrow, September 13, 2022,” Odinga said.
“I regret however that I will not be available for the inauguration because I am out pf the country and also have other serious concerns,” he added.
The former Prime Minister was Ruto’s main competitor in the August 9 presidential election.
He finished second to the President-eelct after garnering 48.8 percent of all the votes cast.
IEBC announced Dr Ruto as the winner of the election after garnering 50.49 percent.
But Odinga moved to the Supreme Court to challenge the results.
However, the seven-judge bench unanimously dismissed his petition alongside that of six others that had been filed seeking nullification of Ruto’s win.
Next steps
And in declining invitation to attend Ruto’s inaugurating, the ODM leader said he still believes the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) did not conduct a free and fair election.
“Secondly, I believe that the ruling of the Supreme Court was not based on the facts and the law, even though we accept it,” he added.
For Odinga, the outcome of the August 9 presidential poll remains indeterminate.
He has now said that once he returns back to the country, he will, jointly with Azimio party leaders announce their next steps “as we seek to deepen and streghten ur democracy”.
“We can only do so if we reform and transform the key institutions that are charged with protecting and advancing our democracy,” said the Azimio leader.
