The National Chairperson of the Council of Imams and Preachers of Kenya(CIPK) Sheikh Abdalla Ibrahim Ateka has urged opposition leader Raila Odinga to allow President William Ruto to deliver his manifesto to Kenyans by toning down protests.

He said President Ruto has been organizing his government and a recent retreat gave a green light that work has begun.

Speaking in Kakamega, Ateka urged those appointed in government to support the president in steering development programs to benefit Kenyans.

He urged Raila to accept the verdict of the Supreme Court that dismissed his petition challenging the Presidential election and respect the will of the people of Kenya who voted for William Ruto.

Ateka asked the opposition leader to play his critical role in putting the government in checks and balances by not necessarily calling for street protests which will only cause damage to properties, waste of time and even deaths.

“We have just seen Raila recently at the Immigration office renewing his passport and that shows that the government is serving Kenyans. So if it is criticizing I urge him to applaud the government for good deeds while also reproaching for anything not rightly done,” he noted.

At the same time, Ateka challenged the National Treasury to be mindful of students from poor families by releasing the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) on time.