The Kenyan president calls on the opposition to call off protests and end “the cycle of struggle after each election”

March 24 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The President of Kenya, William Ruto, has demanded this Friday the opposition leader Raila Odinga to call off the mobilizations in the country to protest against the Government and has defended the need to “put an end to this cycle of struggle every time there are general elections”. .

Ruto has said that Odinga should confront him directly to solve the existing problems and has denounced that the protests called seek to damage the economy of the African country, after the former prime minister has stressed that there will be protests two days a week until the authorities lower the cost of living.

Thus, the Kenyan president recalled that he “won” Odinga in the elections and noted that the population “made use of their democratic right to vote for their leaders, without competing against any of the candidates.” “The fight was between Ruto, Odinga and other candidates. The population must be left out so that we can work to improve their lives,” he argued.

“We all agreed to a fight between leaders that would come to an end at the polls,” he said, while emphasizing that he received the mandate to “lead the country and help improve the lives of millions of Kenyans.” . “Those who take advantage of our youth for their selfish interests should give us a break and be part of the country’s economic recovery,” she concluded.

During the day on Thursday, Ruto affirmed that “the country is preparing for its economic takeoff” and added that “it is time to unite and guarantee that what was promised to the people is achieved.” “We are prepared to interact with any leader on the development agenda,” he said, opening the door to a dialogue.

For his part, Odinga has demanded the release of those detained during the latest protests and has demanded that “the charges (against them) be unconditionally dropped with immediate effect.” “These Kenyan patriots who have been arrested have done nothing wrong,” he said, as reported by the Kenyan television channel Citizen TV.

Odinga has accused the government of being illegitimate and of failing to act to address the rising cost of living amid the spike in commodity prices caused by the coronavirus pandemic and the war in Ukraine, unleashed in February 2022. following the invasion order given by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The former Kenyan prime minister, who went to the polls with the support of the then outgoing president, Uhuru Kenyatta, rejected the results of the elections, which gave Ruto victory with 50.5 percent of the votes, as validated by the Court Supreme. Odinga obtained 48.85 percent of the ballots, although he immediately denounced fraud.