Raila Odinga's Speech After Filing Presidential Petition At Supreme Court

Azimio la Umoja presidential candidate, Raila Odinga, formally filed a petition challenging the declaration of William Ruto as the president-elect at the Supreme Court of Kenya.

Raila’s legal team led by Senior Counsel James Orengo, filed the petition at the Supreme Court sub-registry at the Milimani Law Courts on Monday, August 22, in line with the apex court regulations.

"A short while ago, we successfully filed our Presidential Election Petition at the Supreme Court of Kenya. The action we have taken is perfectly in line with the stipulations of our constitution on resolving electoral disputes.

A crowd with Raila Odinga after he files his presidential petition at the Supreme Court on August 22, 2022. /RAILA ODINGA

It affirms our deep belief in constitutionalism, the rule of law and a peaceful resolution of disputes, including high-stakes ones like the presidential election. We have been shocked that as we prepared to go to court, others tried to stop us.

Kenyans and all those who followed our campaign will recall that fighting and ending corruption in Kenya was a core agenda throughout our campaign as Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party.

The Presidential election results announced last week represent that continuing struggle pitting the forces for democracy and good governance against the corruption cartels that are so determined that they will stop at nothing to take control of the government.

This is a do-or-die battle for the corruption cartels who have everything to lose should the forces of democracy take over. The corruption cartels are prepared to compromise electoral systems, bribe election officials, make security systems look the other way or even kill in order to find their way to power and their ill-gotten wealth and continue stealing from the public.

We believe this is what happened in this election. For the sake of Kenya’s future, the corruption network must not only be stopped but must also be crushed.

This attempted takeover of the country in this election has not been an isolated phenomenon. It has been in the works every electoral cycle. The corruption cartel has been intruding into our elections by not only financing specific candidates but also by threatening or assassinating candidates and election officials.  

The corruption cartels have steadily been moving into manipulating electoral demands and suppressing the participation of voters who support rival political formations. Their activities, which make it clear voters and their votes do not matter, have progressively reduced voter turnout in Kenya.

At times the cartels have triggered intense conflict between security forces and themselves as they strive to compromise elections. Slowly but steadily, these forces are killing our hard-won democracy and are trying to return Kenya to a one-party state in their own interest.

We have seen the speed with which they have moved to buy elected leaders just within one week. After being denied the numbers at lower level elections like Members of National Assembly, Members of County Assemblies and governors, these corruption cartels are working at buying leaders who have been elected on other tickets to kill our democracy and also make the work of containing corruption at lower levels equally less effective.

All of these efforts have important political costs for our country that should not be underestimated. The corruption cartels know there are multiple benefits for them if they take over.

Their members dealing in illegal drugs will thrive through greater ease in the transportation and distribution of drugs throughout the country, they will access intelligence information for more corruption, they will gain protection from the police for their leaders and their illegal activities, and they will institute weaker or no restrictions at all for money laundering and they will ensure nobody else but them thrive.

This potential array of favours for the cartels makes the capturing of government a profitable, do-or-die venture for them. But it marks the beginning of the end of Kenya as we know it.

No nation, once captured by cartels, whether they be corruption cartels, drug cartels, gun running cartels or terror cartels, ever thrived or realized its full potential.

The 2022 presidential election represents the most daring move by that cartel to overturn the wishes of the electorate. We refuse to allow Kenya to go in that direction. It must not happen and it will not happen.

This is what the steps we have taken today and the ones we will take going forward, are all about; to stop the corruption cartels from getting to the heart of our nation and government; the presidency and to stop the corruption cartels from jeopardizing electoral health and democracy in our country. Otherwise, we will have no country.

Our supporters deserve the support of all our citizens and all citizens and leaders of the world who believe in democracy, constitutionalism and the rule of law.

This is the time to walk the talk.

Thank you