NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 19 — Embakasi East MP Babu Owino on Sunday cancelled his planned prayer meeting at Nairobi’s Jacaranda grounds amid growing tension on the status of a Kenya Kwanza rally.
In an apparent move to forestall an imminent clash, Owino urged his supporters to keep off the venue noting that he was doing it for the sake of peace.
“I had booked Jacaranda Grounds for my function today and notified the police while Ruto booked the same venue on the same day but in 2021 as per their notification letter. I have full rights to use this ground today but let my People stay at home because we love peace,” Owino said.
Owino shared a letter indicating that he had written to the Embakasi OCPD on June 15, 2022 seeking to reserve for the grounds to hold a prayer peace meeting.
The meeting according to Owino was to honor “several of my constituents who were stabbed and were seriously injured during Ruto’s last political event in my constituency.”
The Kenya Kwanza team however insisted it had reserved the grounds having paid a fee of Sh30,000.
Ruto took to Twitter on Sunday and informed his supporters that their rally at the grounds was still on.
“The Kenya Kwanza fraternity and the entire hustler nation wishes a blessed Sunday to all na tukutane Jacaranda after church,” he said.
Anti-riot police officers were deployed to the grounds in the early hours on Sunday in lorries in a bid to pre-empt potential chaos.
The police presence was later downscaled.
