‘Greed, corruption to blame for deteriorating relationship between Kenya, EAC peers’ – Azimio
Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya coalition party has accused the Kenya Kwanza regime of orchestrating a strained relationship between Kenya and the East African Community (EAC) peers.
In a statement, Azimio says that Kenya's neighbours have shunned her due to greed, corruption and foul mouth from the current leaders.
"Since Kenya Kwanza came to power, matters have taken a turn for the worse. Kenyans realized that there is something terribly wrong with the relationship between us and our East African neighbours when we celebrated the significant milestone of 60 years since independence. None of our neighbouring EAC countries were represented at the level of President, Vice President or Prime Minister as would have been expected in such a significant occasion that has been the tradition until we have taken it for granted.
We must tell Kenyans that our neighbours are not to blame for this negative development in our relationship," Azimio stated.
"At the centre of the continuing damage of our relationship in EAC is the unbridled greed and corruption as practised by the Kenya Kwanza government and the arrogance and foul mouth that has come with it.
Kenya Kwanza is failing the diplomacy test, and the country in the process."
Azimio says the Kenya Kwanza regime has been charging "middleman fees" for its petroleum products transiting through Kenya, forcing the landlocked country to go to the High Court in Kenya through its Uganda Petroleum Company to challenge the formula.
"Since independence 60 years ago, this kind of highway robbery has never happened under the auspices of people in power in Kenya. It is an extortion by the powerful in the Kenya Kwanza regime. Uganda is now forced to desperately seek relief through our Court system to protect itself from the greed of the Ruto regime. We have seen the hands of the cartel that now wield power in the petroleum sector as if it belongs to one ethnic village," Azimio added.
Azimio on business losses
According to Azimio, Kenya will be the eventual loser in the diplomatic and economic tussles with her neighbours.
"The actions of the Kenya Kwanza cartel undermine the letter and the spirit of the EAC treaty. To waylay our land-locked neighbours who have used Kenya as their preferred route for import and export may hurt the neighbours now, but Kenya will pay the price in the long run. Uganda has been forced to seek a different route through Dar-es-salaam and the other EAC countries will follow suit and Kenya will be the looser eventually," Azimio stated.
Currently, Kenya is embroiled in either diplomatic or economic tussles with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Uganda and Rwanda.
DRC on Saturday withdrew its ambassador to Kenya after a rebel movement against the DRC government was launched in Kenya.
In November, Uganda sought a change of law which would edge out Kenya from its oil business, accusing Kenya of unfair business practices.
“Kenya has for decades decided what petroleum products Uganda buys, when, from where, how much, who buys and at what price,” Energy Minister Ruth Nankabirwa said.
On Monday night, Transport Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen claimed that Rwanda is an autocracy where whatever the president says is the law.
