The crowds at Uhuru Park grounds
in Nairobi, the venue of the Cord
rally on Saturday, May 31, 2014.
Opposition Cord coalition principal
and former Prime Minister Raila
Odinga is due to arrive into the
country later in the afternoon.
Mr Odinga has been away for
nearly three months on a lecture
tour in the US.
The coalition has organised a
reception at Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport when he
arrives, and a rally later at the
Uhuru Park
Crowds of Cord supporters are
streaming into the city in groups
and onwards into the park in
single files where they are
screened by policemen and Cord's
security team, who are in black.
Security is very tight at the park,
which is surrounded by policemen.
All access points to the park have
been sealed off and crowds milling
in for the rally as early as 4 am
could only access the park through
two entrances along Valley road
and Uhuru highway.
Cord politicians have earlier said
they expect a million supporters to
throng the venue.
Scores of buses have been hired in
the past few days to ferry Cord
supporters to the city rally. Most
of these are from the opposition
strongholds of western and coastal
regions in the country.
Such a mammoth crowd would
easily be the biggest meeting
Uhuru Park has ever hosted –
more than estimated 500,000
people present during the
inauguration of former president
Mwai Kibaki in 2003 and also the
crowd that was there when Pope
John Paul II visited Kenya in 1995.
SECURITY CONCERNS
Inspector General of police David
Kimaiyo had initially banned all
political rallies on security fears.
He later rescinded his decision,
reportedly on State House
intervention. On Wednesday, Mr
Kimaiyo said adequate officers had
been deployed to cover the events
“bearing in mind that some
criminal elements may take
advantage of these rallies to
attack.”
There was a security scare at
Uhuru Park Friday over an
unattended bag at the venue, with
police being called in to check its
contents. The incident caused
ongoing preparations to be halted
as security officers cordoned off
the area.
The scare did not last long,
however, as the bag found its
owner.
A policeman guards an abandoned bag at
Cord leaders later on addressed a
press conference there, urging
supporters to keep the peace
during today’s rally.
Mr Odinga had through a
statement earlier appealed to his
supporters to be peaceful during
and after the Uhuru Park rally. He
asked supporters to keep off the
airport due to security and to avoid
inconveniencing travellers.
in Nairobi, the venue of the Cord
rally on Saturday, May 31, 2014.
Opposition Cord coalition principal
and former Prime Minister Raila
Odinga is due to arrive into the
country later in the afternoon.
Mr Odinga has been away for
nearly three months on a lecture
tour in the US.
The coalition has organised a
reception at Jomo Kenyatta
International Airport when he
arrives, and a rally later at the
Uhuru Park
Crowds of Cord supporters are
streaming into the city in groups
and onwards into the park in
single files where they are
screened by policemen and Cord's
security team, who are in black.
Security is very tight at the park,
which is surrounded by policemen.
All access points to the park have
been sealed off and crowds milling
in for the rally as early as 4 am
could only access the park through
two entrances along Valley road
and Uhuru highway.
Cord politicians have earlier said
they expect a million supporters to
throng the venue.
Scores of buses have been hired in
the past few days to ferry Cord
supporters to the city rally. Most
of these are from the opposition
strongholds of western and coastal
regions in the country.
Such a mammoth crowd would
easily be the biggest meeting
Uhuru Park has ever hosted –
more than estimated 500,000
people present during the
inauguration of former president
Mwai Kibaki in 2003 and also the
crowd that was there when Pope
John Paul II visited Kenya in 1995.
SECURITY CONCERNS
Inspector General of police David
Kimaiyo had initially banned all
political rallies on security fears.
He later rescinded his decision,
reportedly on State House
intervention. On Wednesday, Mr
Kimaiyo said adequate officers had
been deployed to cover the events
“bearing in mind that some
criminal elements may take
advantage of these rallies to
attack.”
There was a security scare at
Uhuru Park Friday over an
unattended bag at the venue, with
police being called in to check its
contents. The incident caused
ongoing preparations to be halted
as security officers cordoned off
the area.
The scare did not last long,
however, as the bag found its
owner.
A policeman guards an abandoned bag at
Cord leaders later on addressed a
press conference there, urging
supporters to keep the peace
during today’s rally.
Mr Odinga had through a
statement earlier appealed to his
supporters to be peaceful during
and after the Uhuru Park rally. He
asked supporters to keep off the
airport due to security and to avoid
inconveniencing travellers.
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