Opiyo Wandayi: Maandamano is on until Raila announces otherwise

National Assembly Minority Leader Opiyo Wandayi has said the Monday and Thursday protests by Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya Coalition will continue until ODM leader Raila Odinga announces otherwise. Mr Wandayi the protest will go on as has been earlier announced by Mr Odinga. “The protests are on until Odinga says otherwise. Whether they like it or not, the protests will continue,” Wandayi said on Thursday. The Ugunja lawmaker seemed to be firing back at Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o, who Wednesday announced the suspension of the protests in the lakeside city before quickly rescinding the decision. Also read: Raila turns to choir master as he addresses charged up Azimio supporters This even as Mr Odinga insisted that he will not relent until the government cedes to demands from his coalition, including addressing the issue of high coast of living, opening and subjecting the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission’s servers to a forensic audit and stopping the ongoing process of reconstituting the electoral agency. Mr Odinga is advocating for a bipartisan task force to be put in place to oversee the restructuring of the electoral body, saying it would put to and end its monolithic operations. Thursday marked the third day of anti-government protests which commenced last week on Monday. Also read: The cost of Azimio’s maandamano As was the case with previous protests, on Friday many shops remained closed within Nairobi’s Central Business District where there was a heavy presence of police officers. Later on in the afternoon, things turned chaotic in Pipeline estate and along Outer Ring Road where protesters engaged police officers in running battles. The coalition, under the leadership of Mr Odinga, Martha Karua and Kalonzo Musyoka, have been staging the protests in an effort to compel President William Ruto’s administration meet their demands. However, the protests have led to widescale damage to property and even loss of lives in Nairobi and Kisumu. In some instances, there have been cases of looting and attacks on journalists covering the protests. Also read: Makau Mutua faults police for violent protests