Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga told an impromptu rally on Tuesday he would hold an assembly that would swear him in as president on December 12, less than an hour after President Uhuru Kenyatta was inaugurated for a second, five-year term.
“We have said, this coming month of December, on the 12th we shall have a people’s assembly that will swear me into office,” Odinga said.
Minutes after Odinga spoke, riot police teargassed his convoy and charged the crowd.
The Supreme Court nullified the first presidential election, in August, over irregularities.
The extended election season has divided Kenya, a Western ally in a volatile region, and blunted growth in East Africa’s richest economy.
Supporters of Kenyatta – who won with 98 percent of the vote after Odinga’s boycott – are urging the opposition to engage in talks and move on.
Read Also: Kenyatta Sworn In For Second Term As Kenyan President
Reuters
