Kenyan opposition boycotts firms that back president

By Magdalene Mukami
NAIROBI, Kenya (AA) - Kenya’s opposition on Friday began an “economic boycott” aimed at forcing newly elected Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta out of power.
The parliamentary wing of the opposition National Resistance Movement called on its supporters to boycott services and products from companies it claims are supporting Kenyatta’s Jubilee party.
This came as Kenya struggles to pull out of an economic crisis that erupted after the election storm swept over the East African country during the post-election violence that followed the Aug. 8 presidential elections.
“Today and with immediate effect we call on all Kenyans, who believe in free fair and credible elections, to boycott products of Safaricom, all products produced by Brookside dairies and Bidco industries,” Gladys Wanga, Homa Bay County’s women representative, said in a news conference.
Products and services of the companies that the opposition has singled out are used by almost every Kenyan on a daily basis. Some are giants in the telecommunications industry, while the others deal in dairy products, supply milk, cooking fats and oil under different names in the Kenyan market.
“These companies have blood on their hands; they have provided solid backing to the Jubilee regime and platform to rig elections,” Wanga added.
The repeat polls were held after the top court annulled the Aug. 8 presidential elections in which Kenyatta was announced the winner.
Kenyatta also won the repeat polls on Monday which Odinga had boycotted. He led with more than 7 million votes. Odinga, the former prime minister, gained 70,000 votes despite the boycott.
The ruling party Jubilee has yet to respond to the move by the opposition.