President Uhuru Kenyatta rejected calls to charge me with treason after I was sworn in as the “People’s President”, Raila Odinga has revealed.
Speaking on Sunday at a Legio Maria church in Makongeni, the ODM party leader said that there was a section of leaders that called for his incarceration.
“Uhuru akaambiwa, Raila amezidi, ile kitendo amefanya ni treason, tumshike, tumpeleke mahahakamani tumshataki, tumpeleke Kamiti tukamnyonge,” Raila told the congregation.
“Uhuru akasema, ah, ah, hapana, si tukakutana na tukaketi chini, na tukaongea sana na kwa kirefu.”
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It is after his meeting with the president that the “Handshake” was born. According to Raila, they called a truce for the sake of the nation.
The swearing in happened on January 30, 2018 at Uhuru Park in Nairobi.
The oath was administered by Ruaraka MP Tom Kajwang’ after which he was charged with treason and taking part in unlawful assembly. He was acquitted in 2019.
During his acquittal, Chief Magistrate Stephen Mbungi observed that the swearing in was not unlawful.
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“From the content of the oath, Hon Raila Odinga swore himself to the office of the people’s president which does not amount to any crime. He would have only breached the law if he swore himself as the president of the Republic of Kenya,” ruled Mr Mbungi.
He added that the swearing-in would have only amounted to treason if the former prime minister and the organisers of the event declared their intention to overthrow the Government.
“The oath does not talk of the people’s president of the Republic of Kenya. It only talks of the President of the Republic of Kenya. It was not unlawful for it did not bind Mr Odinga to commit any crime or did he swear himself to a lawfully established office when not qualified for it,” he ruled.
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