We walk with and talk to youths from Kibera making their way to Uhuru Park for Raila oath

By: Abdikadir Ukash

NAIROBI—Its six in the morning and Lucas Otieno and his friends are walking to the city centre to witness the swearing in ceremony of Raila Oding as the people’s president and Kalonzo Musyoka as his deputy.

“They said this day will never come. Here we are,” Lucas tells me as we walk with his team as they make their way to Uhuru Park.

At distance of a mile away from Kibera, they are joined by tens of other youths, charged and sweating.

They are clad in sports shoes, carrying pro Raila placards.

After pleasantries, they join in the march to Raila’s big day.

In the way, they discuss the events to follow after the oath and what the NASA leaders have in store for them.

“Where will we go after the swearing?” One of them asks.

“We discuss that when we reach the bridge,” another Raila supporter responds.

In the opposition side, there are Kenyan leaders who were key players in the formulation of the Constitution which was promulgated in 2010.

Individuals like Orengo, the Siaya senator is Kenya’s most respected lawyer and constitution expert.

Along the way, a truck full of armed police officers in riot gears stops by in distance. 

They take a look at the youths and drive ahead. 

“This is unusual, ” Lucas says.

“This is a break from the past when they would shoot at us and hurl teargas canisters,” he added.

In mid this month, Raila advisor and economic expert David Ndii told reporters that the people were the “ultimate power.”

“There is nothing like instruments of power.  People are the power,” he responded to a question asked by journalist on what Raila would do after the swearing-in ceremony.

We reach at the gates of Uhuru park in central Nairobi. Supporters are streaming in. Police officers on horse backs could be spotted. 

We talk to one of them. He tells us that he was at the park to maintain order.

Earlier in the morning, the first people to arrive reported of a beehive they said was placed at the  dais by unidentified people.

“They wanted to frustrate us, but we burnt it down,” Kelvin Mutua, said.

At mid-morning, Raila and Kalonzo are expected to be sworn in.