SK Macharia cautions Raila about Mt Kenya votes
Media owner Samuel Kamau Macharia, popularly known as SK, has cautioned politicians allied to Raila Odinga and the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) against lying to Raila about Mt Kenya votes.
While addressing congregants at the Bible Fellowship Church in Kigumo over the weekend, Macharia told Raila that the ground was hostile contrary to reports by Raila's friends.
During the church service held on Sunday, August 29, the media mogul stated that Raila would lose Mt Kenya votes to his competitors if elections were to be held at the time he spoke.
"I would like to tell Maina Kamanda, Jeremiah Kioni and others, the way we know how things are on the ground, don't lie to Raila that the ground is okay. If we were to go and cast votes today, those people who have despised you and the President would win the votes,"Mcharia cautioned.
SK said he received the information as part of intelligence reports that sieve through his office as a media owner.
While pointing out the important role played out by the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila after the 2017 general elections, Macharia told the congregants how he ended up supporting Raila's bid for presidency.
"Kibaki, he told me - 'since you're the one who brought and advocated for Raila, and you convinced him so that we might work together (and form a coalition) and since we ran together with him (Raila in 2002) stick with him. For me, my young man (Uhuru) is in trouble with the ICC and I cannot leave him behind, go and tell Raila that' Muthaura was with me," SK said adding that no one believed he supported Raila and not Uhuru. "Now you know why," Macharia said.
In July, SK told guests during the Skiza Thanksgiving event at his home in Gatanga that he met Raila after Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, sent young Raila on an errand to his office.
Macharia also told the congregants that he was in a post-independence organisation dubbed Young Turks together with Siaya Senator James Orengo and Jaramogi Oginga.
“Orengo and I were in the Young Turks together. Jaramogi was also our elder in the Young Turks. He was the one we used to consult. In fact, I met Raila when the late Jaramogi wanted some money. He called me and we agreed. He sent Raila to come and collect the money,” Macharia said.
He sent Raila to my office and I saw a young man. He told me he was sent by his father, I asked him who his father was and he said Jaramogi, I gave Raila the money and that’s how we first met,” Macharia added.
The media owner further revealed that it was Raila’s father who plucked him from overseas where he had spent seven years working and studying to return to Kenya and help in the running of Kenya’s first government in 1963.
“In 1963, there was an official from the Kenyan government who was sent overseas to recruit young Kenyans who would work for the government. And it was Raila’s father who was in charge of the whole process,” Macharia said.
During yesterday's event, Raila who was flanked by his key supporters including Nairobi Woman Representative Esther Passaris, Kamanda, Kioni, and Suna East MP Junet Mohamed said the clamor for constitutional change through the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) bill was on recess and would resume at a later time.
The announcement by Raila comes after Attorney General Kihara Kariuki and the BBI secretariat said they would appeal the Appellate's court decision which upheld the High Court's ruling that declared BBI null and void.
"I want to tell you that BBI is not dead. It is just at half-time," Raila said.
