Nairobi – The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party’s caucus for people with disabilities issued a warning on Sunday advising former Prime Minister Raila Odinga over his links to violence in Kenya’s previous elections.

Led by MP named David Sankok, the caucus told a press conference that people living with disabilities in the country feared Odinga’s candidacy because of his record of violence after every election.

“We have identified that whenever we have violence in Kenya, there is a single denominator that is not missing in the name of Raila Amollo Odinga when it comes to violence,” he said.

Sankok noted that Odinga’s reluctance to accept poll results has proven costly for the country, with people living with disabilities bearing the brunt when chaos erupts.

He claimed Odinga’s involvement in the 1982 coup in Kenya and the violence in the 1997 general election whose result Odinga rejected and the 2007 polls that later led to the formation of the high-profile government. coalition.

Sankok also criticized Odinga’s involvement in the 2013 and 2017 polls which he said were marred by post-election violence due to Odinga’s reluctance to accept the poll result.

“That’s why, as people living with disabilities, we said that we will not vote for Raila because in case of violence, those who will suffer the most are us,” he said.

The Senator named Isaac Mwaura, who accompanied Sankok, rooted for the candidacy of Vice President William Ruto, noting that he has the interests of people living with disabilities in the country at heart.

“We supported our competitors before but now when you look at them they have reneged on their solemn duty to be the defenders of the rights of the people. They have decided to join the oppressors of the people when we know that is the past. , we want out,” he said.

Odinga was officially unveiled as the presidential standard bearer for the Azimio La Umoja coalition on Saturday and will face Ruto in the hotly contested polls on August 9, 2022.