The National Police Service (NPS) has beefed up security on all roads leading to the State House in Nairobi and other State Lodges in the country.
This comes after the 14-day ultimatum the Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition leader, Raila Odinga, gave President William Ruto to lower the cost of living or face mass action a fortnight ago lapses.
A contingent of police officers who cordoned off the Nairobi State House was deployed and roadblocks manned by heavy security personnel were mounted on all roads leading to the State House.
The roads leading to the Nairobi State House that experienced heavy police presence include the State House Road, the State House Avenue, Processional Way and Dennis Pritt Road.
Another contingent of heavily armed police officers was deployed to man the Kisumu State Lodge.
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The roads leading to the Kisumu State Lodge such as the Jomo Kenyatta Highway were also blocked and a heavy police presence was witnessed,
It forced motorists and pedestrians plying the road to use alternative routes to their various destinations as the security personnel manning the roadblock mounted opposite the previous Nyanza Province headquarters denied them passage .
Nyanza Regional Police Boss Karanja Muiruri confirmed the deployment of the security officers at Kisumu State Lodge and Kisii State Lodge.
Muiruri said it was normal for the police to offer extra protection and vigilance to such government installations.
During the Azimio National Prayer Day rally held at Nairobi’s Jeevanjee Gardens, Raila issued a raft of demands to Ruto and his administration.
Among the demands are lowering the cost of living, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to open its servers to independent auditors, stopping the IEBC reconstitution process and the installation of a nonpartisan task force to complete the work.
He threatened to organise a countrywide mass protest against Ruto and his Kenya Kwanza administration if his demands were not addressed.
It is apparent that the government has not yet addressed his concerns and therefore the countrywide mass action is in the offing.