Raila now takes political war to Ruto’s backyard
ODM leader Raila Odinga yesterday took his political war to his nemesis Deputy President William Ruto’s door step, by conducting interviews with Kalenjin vernacular radio stations.
In what appeared to be a well-choreographed campaign, Raila was a morning guest at five leading Kalenjin stations, to lay out his case ahead of a scheduled tour of Ruto’s heartland, with a strong message that he had no grudge against the community that strongly backed his 2007 presidential bid.
The former Prime Minister took the opportunity to explain himself over the thorny issue of Mau Forest evictions which antagonised him with the Kalenjin nation, corruption in government and his relationship with Ruto, his main rival in next year’s General Election.
Raila, who has been criss-crossing the country rallying Kenyans to unity under the ‘Azimio la Umoja’ clarion call, will be pitching tent in Eldoret in a gathering that will bring together delegates from Uasin Gishu, Nandi, West Pokot, Baringo and Turkana.
Kenya’s prosperity
Speaking to the Kalenjin nation, Raila assured the community that he had not forgotten their overwhelming support for him in 2007.
“Sijawapa kisogo. Tuko kwa hii safari pamoja (I’ve not forgotten you. We are together in this journey).
I’m still the Arap Mibei you used to know. I’m just waiting for the Kalenjin community to give me someone I can work with,” said the ODM leader who sounded like a man on a mission to mend fences.
Raila ruled out the possibility of re-uniting with Ruto ahead of the 2022 polls.
“I don’t see the possibility of working with him (Ruto) in 2022 because he is already running and he has declared his bid for the presidency,” he said.
He singled out tribalism and corruption as the biggest impediments to Kenya’s prosperity and said he intends to right the wrongs over the years.
“The country is still divided along tribal lines. Your name is enough to give you or deny you a job.
The country cannot prosper if we are divided along tribal lines. I will criss-cross the country and tell Kenyans about unity.
We will converge in Uasin Gishu and have delegates from the neighbouring counties,” said Raila.
The ODM leader said after North Rift, he will take his mission to South Rift where delegates from Bomet, Kericho and Nakuru will converge in Nakuru, before heading to Upper Eastern where he has scheduled a meeting with delegates from Meru, Embu and Tharaka Nithi.
Raila will wind up his tour with his final Azimio meeting in Nairobi by end of October.
“We have 46 tribes in Kenya and no one has come to Kenya on his or her invitation. We must love one another if Kenya is to be prosperous.
No country can grow economically if they are divided along tribal lines. Kenya is playing in division three on the economic league instead of Super League. We must change this,” he said.
While acknowledging the contribution the Kalenjin community has played in his quest to lead the country, Raila said his stand and aspirations on the community still stands.
“Arap Mibei is still the same. My stand on the people of Kalenjin remains. We have walked together except a few friends who have gone to other parties like UDA,” he said.
Raila was speaking in reference to the community’s support for his 2007 presidential poll which led a power-sharing agreement in a coalition government.
Ruto was then a member of the ODM Pentagon and campaigned for him in the Rift Valley.
The two, however, differed over Raila’s call for eviction of squatters from the Mau forest as well as the handling of the post-election violence cases.
He recalled the contribution played by the late Kipsigis kingpin Kipkalya Kones who marshalled the Kipsigis vote in Kericho, Bomet and parts of Nakuru, while Ruto, former ODM chairman Henry Kosgei, former ministers Sally Kosgei and Musa Sirma led in the vote hunt mission in Central and North Rift in the 2007 polls.
To show his appreciation to the community, Raila said he allocated them five slots for standing with him, Western was given five slots while his native Nyanza region got four ministerial posts.
“We have worked together and we shall still work together. It is in the public domain that we did not lose the 2007 elections. But I appreciated the Kalenjin community.
Rift Valley were given five slots of ministerial positions, Western the same and Nyanza only got four,” he said.
On the issue of the Mau evictions that changed the tide against him in 2013, Raila said he does not regret his efforts to save the environment from destruction, adding that his efforts have paid off.
He reiterated that the move to evict people from the forest was not his own but a Cabinet decision after a Taskforce report was presented and adopted by Parliament.
Raila said that although his political enemies used the evictions as a weapon against him, he stood with the then Forestry minister Noah Wekesa who’s ministry was charged with the implementation.
Greatest enemy
He appeared to train his guns on the DP whom he accused of fighting a cause he himself, had approved in the Cabinet for political expediency, by suggesting that the eviction had targeted the Kalenjin community who were part of those residing in the forest.
“The idea was mooted by the Cabinet. This was a government decision. It is sad that my political opponents used it as propaganda. The eviction did not targeting any community,” he said.
HJe added: “We must protect our forests. We now have a difference in Mau, there is now enough rains and the rivers are flowing with water levels rising.”
During the interview, Raila came to the defense of the Kenyatta family over ownership of offshore accounts.
“I do not think there is anything wrong with having offshore accounts if you can explain how you opened it and the source of the funds in the accounts,” said Raila.
On the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), Raila said although the Court of Appeal upheld the ruling by the five-judge bench of the High Court, they did not agree with its finding, adding that if the verdict is not challenged, it will be difficult for any Kenyan to initiate a change of Constitution.
He defended the proposed increased allocation to counties from the current minimum of 15 per cent, to at least 35 per cent of the national revenue, adding that should he ascend to power, he would ensure the amount to counties is increased.
He explained that currently, the devolved units are struggling to initiate meaningful development in the respective counties since more than half of the allocation goes to recurrent expenditure.
“We don’t agree with the Court of Appeal’s verdict but we respect it. The Attorney General has gone to the Supreme Court to challenge it.
If the verdict remains, nobody will ever change the Constitution unless given a green light by the courts,” said Raila.
He faulted the appellate court judges, saying there was enough public participation in all the forums staged in Kisii, Bukhungu, Kitui, Mama Ngina Drive, Narok, Garissa, Meru and Nakuru, but the government banned all political rallies before they went to Eldoret, Meru and Nairobi.
“The Jubilee government has been at the helm since 2013. What has stopped them? Every national government would want to remain with more resources at the top.
Increasing the counties allocation cannot be left to the discretion of the national government. I have promised that should I be elected, I will increase the county allocation,” said Raila.
He further charged that corruption is the greatest enemy of the people, adding that if action is not taken against the corrupt and the nature of the corruption, the vice becomes part of life.
In a thinly veiled attack on the DP, Raila said harambees are the epitome of corruption, saying that during the Grand Coalition government, fund raisers by State officials were banned.
On the ‘Hustler Movement’ slogan being spearheaded by the DP and his team in a bid to appeal to the common people, Raila dismissed the idea as misplaced.
“Whoever advised Ruto to use the word Hustler misadvised him, Hustler ‘ni mtu mkorofi,na mtu mwenye anatumia njia za mikato’ (Hustler is a cunning person who likes to use short cuts to succeed in life),” he said.
