It is time for Raila Odinga, former VP Kalonzo Musyoka to act as statesmen

By Okwaro Oscar Plato

CORD leader Raila Odinga and former VP Kalonzo Musyoka have served in different regimes for couples of years in various capacities. The duo also enjoy international support.

Just like Raila, Kalonzo who has travelled internationally in his capacity as the Foreign Affairs minister and/or diplomat beside his foreign trips as the VP, Raila has always been in good books with majority of the Western nations including the China in the East.

For instance, Britons have rolled out the red carpet for Raila Odinga on four separate official visits to Britain. Since 2007 he has met David Cameron, Gordon Brown and Prince Charles compared to the number of official visits to the UK afforded to former President Mwai Kibaki since 2002: none!

With this kind of international support and respect for both Raila and his erstwhile foe Kalonzo Musyoka, one would have expected the two to use this support to source for international investors, market Kenya as the best tourist destination in Africa thus increasing job opportunities for the ordinary citizen.

However, this has not been the case for the two especially Raila who has ensured the word ‘rigging’ elections remain his petty subject whenever microphone comes his way in any public function. Raila has spent considerably valuable resources and time uttering anti-government sentiments instead of wooing investors to initiate development programmes.

Similarly, it appears Kalonzo, too has no agenda for his people in Ukambani, who are faced with perennial famine with water accessibility remaining the worst challenge.

It’s time for Raila to only engage in positive criticism not inciting the electorate against the Government. Democratisation cannot be realised through empty rhetoric on ambo in political rallies but through uplifting the living standards of the electorate.

 It seems Raila who has been in the government for more than 10 years now does not understand that sugarcane farmers in Nyanza and Western provinces are grappling in abject poverty and that Lake Victoria currently requires foreign aid to help remove water hyacinth that is eating into the lake’s fresh water.

It was our law courts that validated the election of Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto as Kenya’s 4th President and Deputy President respectively.

And it is wise for the former premier to respect court decision but not to make mockery of our judicial system.

That is not the way to go for statesmen of Raila/Kalonzo calibre, who we expect to help the current regime to realise their campaign promises.

The writer is Analyst with Quadz Consulting Africa