Raila Odinga tells Uhuru Kenyatta that Kenya is bleeding under insecurity

KISUMU: CORD Leader Raila Odinga wants President Uhuru Kenyatta to act decisively on those who have let down his fight against terror and other related insecurity.

Raila told the President the manner in which his administration was responding to terror attacks and fighting the vice was wanting and challenged him to crack the whip.

 “Your excellency, your people are letting you down. You need to crack the whip. Why was it taking six hours to send the contingent of Recce squad to Garissa? Somebody must have failed,” he said.

Raila took the opportunity given to him to address delegates at the ongoing devolution conference in Kisumu to hit at the Government’s poor response to the recent terror attack at the Garissa University College.

Raila told Uhuru to get his act together to salvage the situation of the already “bleeding nation”.

The CORD leader moved the audience by narrating the story of a female student who was on phone call with her parents until she was found and shot by Al-Shabaab attackers, telling the delegates to reflect on the trauma of such parents.

 “Mr President, this country is bleeding. When we speak in the manner we do, you should understand, it is painful, very painful,” said Raila.

He took issue with the manner that security officers responded to the attacks, saying it was such decision-making elements in the Government that are letting down the President's efforts to fight terror.

The ODM leader said Kenyans could not understand why the elite squad, based at Ruiru, was driven all the way to Wilson Airport, when there is a Air Force base at Eastleigh.

“It beats logic to pass the Moi Airbase in Eastleigh and take the squad all the way to Wilson Airport, which is far. It only shows something is terribly wrong and this is the time to correct that,” said Raila.

Raila said this was the time for Kenya to work out an exit strategy from Somalia, and gradually remove the Kenya Defence Forces from the country where they have been fighting Al-Shabaab.

He said the Opposition's call to have the solders in Somalia brought home was not asking the Government to immediately withdraw the soldiers fighting under the African Mission for Somalia (Amisom), but rather work out an exit strategy that may take some time and eventually have the country’s forces out of Somalia.

"Look at the greater interests of Kenyans by coming up with an exit strategy," he said.

Despite the passionate plea from Raila, Uhuru did not make any response to the issue, only restricting himself to the devolution topic.