Forget Abagusii votes during next year’s elections, Raila tells Uhuru

CORD leader Raila Odinga and Kisii Gounty Governor James Ongwae make a triumphant entry into Gusii Stadium yesterday. The Opposition leader accussed the Jubilee Government of failing to honour its 2013 election pledges. [PHOTO: DENNISH Ochieng/ Standard]

CORD leader Raila Odinga has told President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Jubilee team to forget the Abagusii vote.

Raila pointed out that Jubilee government had failed to deliver on its 2013 campaign promises.

Addressing hundreds of youth and party leaders during a forum dubbed “Kikao45” at the Gusii Stadium yesterday, Raila accused the Jubilee administration of using “cheap and false” promises as a bait to woo voters.

“There is one thing I want to put to rest today. The Jubilee brigade has been making many trips to Kisii. They think they can turn the Abagusii into chicken which they can trap using maize,” said Raila.

“We want to tell Jubilee Party that the Abagusii are not on sale. They should forget Kisii because we will not allow them to take it. Tutawakamatia chini,” he said borrowing from a song “Kamatia Chini” by artist Navy Kenzo.

Paradigm shift

He rallied the community’s youth, urging them to unseat Jubilee government from power by leading a campaign to register voters enmass.

Raila was accompanied by governors James Ongwae (Kisii), Evans Kidero (Nairobi), John Nyangarama (Nyamira), Okoth Obado (Migori), ODM chairman John Mbadi and several MPs allied to CORD.

The former Prime Minister told the Jubilee administration to start preparing to leave office because it had failed Kenyans.

“Jubilee is now busy holding sectoral summits at State House every Monday to discuss their performance. They are drawing new strategies. We want to tell them that this is not the time to work on new strategies, it’s time to give a score card on what they have done. They have no score card and they should just go. Waanze kufunga virago,” Raila charged.

Raila went on: “They are saying they have created 50,000 jobs in four years but this is a drop in the ocean. They have just scratched the surface.”

He said Kenyans were tired of the Jubilee administration and were getting impatient.

“Change is inevitable. It is like River Nile which is flowing from Jinja through Khartoum to the Mediterranean Sea. No one can stop River Nile,” Raila said.

He reiterated that CORD was united and was planning to take over power.

What appears to be a split in the Coalition, he explained, is actually a strategy.

“We know what we are doing,” Raila stated.

“According to Chairman Mao, when the enemy advances, retreat. When the enemy tires, we regroup, when they retreat, we attack without mercy and destroy them completely.”

CORD, he said, was like one big home with three big houses. “In this home, we have one house belonging to ODM, another to Wiper and another to Ford-K. We are building more houses.”

Kenya, he pointed out, was faced with massive unemployment and poverty because the Jubilee government has failed to invest in the youth.

“It is high time we asked ourselves where we went wrong. Unless we do a paradigm shift, our people will continue to wallow in poverty,” Raila said.

He said the country could only address the issues bedeviling it if the Jubilee government is voted out.

“I want to tell the youth that the only way to help resolve their issues is to vote out Jubilee.”

“Jubilee Government got it wrong because they are giving the youths loans instead of grants. They are also giving them these loans before their build their capacities,” said Raila.

The ODM party leader assured its supporters that they will hold free and fair nominations.

Murang’a water project

“I want to assure our people that we will do credible nominations next February. In areas where there will be discord, we will ensure the exercise is repeated until a winner is found.”

On the raging controversy over multi-billion shilling Murang’a water tunnel, Raila stood his ground.

“Former Environment Minister John Michuki rejected the project and said it would be built over his dead body. I am just echoing what he said. The only difference is that he said it in Kikuyu and I am saying it in English,” said Raila.

He added: “Those asking why I am speaking about a project in Murang’a should know that as the leader of the biggest political party in Kenya, I am mandated to speak for millions of Kenyans. I have supporters in Murang’a and all parts of the country.”

Speaking on Friday night during ODM Youth League dinner at Bomas of Kenya, Raila challenged young people to rise and start driving the country’s agenda.

“As ODM, we guarantee our youth a free and fair nomination process ahead of next year’s elections,” said Raila.