Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga has confirmed that he will not ask the State to restore his security detail.

Odinga’s security was withdrawn by the government at the height of protests earlier this year.

Speaking during a local interview, the former presidential candidate revealed that he procured the services of private guards to man his home.

“Although I am entitled to state security, I will not bother to ask the government to return them. I will not waste my time going to court because my biggest security is the people; that is why I can walk freely in the streets,” he was quoted by The Standard.

Kindiki offers to reinstate security for Raila, Azimio leaders

His sentiments come a week after Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration Kithure Kindiki announced that affected Azimio leaders would have their security reinstated.

However, Kindiki’s declaration came with some conditions.

“We provide security to everyone in the country. Those affected members, if they have stopped what was happening, they can still talk to us, we will give them security, they are entitled to security,” the Interior CS added.

CS Kindiki was speaking when he appeared before the parliamentary committee on National cohesion and equal opportunity chaired by Mandera West MP Aden Haji Yussuf.

Azimio leaders warned

The former Tharaka Nithi Senator, who issued a tough warning to Azimio leaders leading the protests, asserted that he would not deploy state officers to protect the rioting parties.

“These are people who are serving in the same agency with police who were containing the protests…you can easily create a very ugly situation so we said all those who were exercising their right of picketing should do so peacefully and unarmed,” he explained.

Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, four governors and over 50 MPs had their security withdrawn two days ahead of the three-day demonstrations called by Raila from July 19 to July 21.