Ignore Raila's Public Holiday- UDA In Warning To Azimio MPs

The United Democratic Alliance party (UDA) has dismissed Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga's declaration of Monday, March 20 as a public holiday.

Speaking during a press briefing on Wednesday, March 15 in Nairobi, UDA Secretary General Cleophas Malala affirmed that it is only the President who has the power to declare a public holiday through the Ministry of Interior.

He further called upon Kenyans to ignore Raila's declaration and carry on with their usual duties even as the Azimio coalition is threatening to stage nationwide protests in Nairobi on March 20.

United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Secretary-General Cleophas Malala and other officials address the media on March 8, 2023. /TWITTER.UDA

"The position of the government is such that only the President can declare a holiday through the Ministry of Interior and all public holidays are gazetted and you know them.

"We have said that Monday is a working day, there will be no holiday. Kenyans should wake up and go to work, children should go back to school and all businesses should go on," said Malala.

The former Kakamega Senator at the same time warned Azimio allied MPs against going into demos without submitting their constituency development projects to the Budget Allocation Committee chairperson Ndindi Nyoro.

According to Malala, the deadline for submitting the projects is on March 20, meaning that the MPs should not complain that their constituents have not benefited from development projects out of failure to submit them to Nyoro.

"I have been talking with the chairman of the budget committee Ndindi Nyoro on Monday and he will be finalizing his report on the budget estimates for 2023/2024. We are telling the ODM members that on Monday, we shall close the matter of the budget; don't go for maandamano (protests) and then fail to input your development matters in the budget, then come to cry that you have not got development projects in your constituencies.

"If you want your fellow country people to benefit from development projects, as a leader, choose on Monday if you will go to Ndindi Nyoro or for maandamano (protests)," Malala added.

Addressing a political rally on Tuesday, March 14, in Siaya County, the former Prime Minister revealed that the public holiday will allow Kenyans to participate in the mass action.