The rally in Nairobi’s Uhuru Park was billed as an opportunity to discuss serious concerns about security and other challenges facing the government. The chosen date, July 7, is known as Saba Saba (“seven seven”) Day, and it bears significance to demonstrations held that day in 1990 in support of multi-party elections.
Over the last year, the Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab has attacked a number of targets in Kenya, including the September 2013 assault on a Nairobi shopping mall that killed 67 people and injured more than 200.
On June 15 and 16, armed men attacked the towns of Mpeketoni and Maporomoko in Lamu County, killing at least 65 people.
Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for those attacks, and representatives of the international community, including the United States embassy in Nairobi, also believed the group is responsible.
However, President Uhuru Kenyatta blamed the attacks on “local political networks” and referred to “politically motivated ethnic violence” targeting an unspecified “Kenyan community”.
Given the intensive media coverage of the attacks and the heated political debate that ensued, Kenyans were expecting to watch the CORD rally live on television. A similar rally, held at the same venue in May after Odinga returned to Kenya from the United States, was aired live on five television channels, including the government broadcaster.
But ahead of the July 7 event, editors of the principal TV channels – Nation Television (NTV), Kenya Television Network (KTN), K24 and Citizen – met and agreed not to air the proceedings live, because of fears that politicians might make inflammatory comments or incite supporters to violence.
The recent attacks have led to a surge in rhetoric on both sides of the political divide. Some politicians have been questioned under laws banning hate speech, and the Kenyan media have tried not to add further fuel to the fire.
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