Odinga holds a bible during an opposition rally on January 27. |
Nairobi, Kenya (CNN)Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga,
who boycotted the country's disputed election last year, swore himself
in as the "people's president" at a mock inauguration ceremony Tuesday
in protest against President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Thousands
of opposition supporters gathered at Uhuru Park in central Nairobi to
attend the "swearing-in" protest event, which was organized by Odinga's
National Super Alliance (NASA). Police fired tear gas in an attempt to
disperse crowds pulling down signs near the park on Tuesday.
Authorities had earlier said they would put a stop to any illegal meetings, but Reuters reported that no uniformed police could be seen in the park and no anti-riot officers or vehicles were visible.
Kenyatta won a second presidential term with 98% of the vote following a controversial election re-run in November. The country's Supreme Court nullified the previous ballot, also won by Kenyatta, due to "illegalities and irregularities."
Odinga and his opposition party dropped out of the second vote, claiming the election commission had failed to implement any reforms.
NASA says it wants to create an alternative government in protest Kenyatta's rule. Some are hoping Tuesday's event will push Kenyatta, who promised to work towards national unity during his second term, to include opposition leaders in dialogue and in his ministerial appointments.
But
the government has warned that Tuesday's events amount to treason -- an
offense punishable by death, according to Kenyan law.
Ahead of the event, three of
the country's largest television stations were pulled off air by the
government -- a move not seen in the country for years.
"President
Kenyatta expressly threatened to shut down and revoke the licenses of
any media that would broadcast the planned purported swearing in of
NASA leaders Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka on Tuesday," Kenya
Editor's Guild Chairman Linus Kaikai said in a statement on Monday
night.
Local channels
KTN, NTV and Citizen television's free-to-air channels were turned off
beginning around 10:00 a.m. (2:00 a.m. ET) Tuesday morning.
Judge: Ceremony is treason
The
election-related drama in the east Africa's economic hub has been
stuttering along for months, and on Tuesday a state of apprehension hung
in the air.
National
newspapers captured the sense of uncertainty: one headline read "Moment
of truth," while another read "What to expect on this day of conflict".
While
not specifically naming Odinga, Attorney General Githu Muigai warned
last month that any attempt to hold an alternative swearing-in event
amounted to treason.
"The swearing in of any person
not lawfully declared to have won an election by the independent
election and boundaries commission, and the swearing in that is not
conducted by the chief justice of the Republic of Kenya is a process
wholly unanticipated by the constitution and is null and void and
illegal," Muigai said.
"The
criminal law of the Republic of Kenya stipulates that sort of process
is high treason ... It is high treason of the persons involved, and any
other person facilitating that process," he added.
Observers
fear that Tuesday's protest could lead to more public unrest. At least
92 people were killed in election-related violence, according to a report from Kenya's National Commission on Human Rights.
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