Kenya’s opposition leader Raila Odinga has postponed till Wednesday the declaration of his position on the disputed polls, which the electoral umpire, said he lost to incumbent, Uhuru Kenyatta.
He promised on Sunday at a rally in Nairobi, to make his decision known, a stance that could defuse or exacerbate tensions in the country.
The 72-year-old insists he is the rightful winner of a “stolen” election which took place on August 8 and handed victory to incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Speaking at the weekend, Odinga promised to announce his next move on Tuesday. However citing the “complexity and delicate nature” of discussions, his National Super Alliance (NASA) pushed the decision back to Wednesday.
The veteran opposition leader has now lost four elections and has also cried foul over results in the previous two.
His latest claims sparked a wave of protests in his strongholds which left at least 16 dead and 177 injured, but these quickly abated as his supporters — and the country — await his decision on his next move.
After the 2007 vote, Odinga’s supporters took to the streets, and a resulting crackdown coupled with a wave of politically motivated tribal violence left over 1,100 dead.
In 2013 he challenged the presidential results in court and lost.
Any legal challenge must be lodged by Friday, but Odinga has so far defied pressure to take his complaints to the court.
A legal petition can also be filed by members of civil society.
