Standard gauge railway route was diverted to benefit Kenyatta family, says Raila

NASA Presidential candidate Raila Odinga addressing residents of Naivasha during a rally in Kamere estate in Naivasha. He questioned the rationale to divert the SGR to Naivasha saying that the first family was the largest beneficiary in the project. Photo by Antony Gitonga

NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga now claims the ongoing standard gauge railway (SGR) was diverted to Naivasha to benefit the First Family.

Raila said that the dry port and the line through which the SGR would pass was land owned by President Uhuru and his family.

Raila noted that the original SGR route was meant to be constructed from Mombasa to Nairobi and then direct to Kisumu.

"The move to divert the SGR to Naivasha is meant benefit the Uhuru family which owns the land where the industrial park will be located," he said.

Raila questioned the rationale to construct the dry port in Naivasha noting that the lakeside town did not even have an airport.

"When Kibaki and I gave nod to the project, it was meant to start from Mombasa to Kisumu but due to some poor leadership it has been diverted to Naivasha," he said.

Raila was speaking in Kamere grounds in Naivasha where he revisited issues on 2007/2008 post election violence that rocked the town leaving over 50 people dead and hundreds of others displaced.

He noted that all the victims of the post election violence in parts of the country had been compensated but those from Naivasha had been left out.

"Naivasha has over 5,000 integrated IDPs including Ndiege who lost all his family members but the Jubilee government has refused to compensate them," he said.

Raila accused the government of buying votes by paying some IDPS and pointed to the recent visit by Uhuru in Kisii where some families received compensation.

He lashed out at flower farmers for poorly paying their workers noting that this would change when NASA took over the country's leadership.

"Workers in the flower farms are poorly paid, oppressed and work in poor working conditions and this will change under my leadership," he said.

Raila lashed out at Uhuru saying that he was not in control of his government and that he should give up and allow the NASA government to take charge.

"The cost of living has gone up and the prices of basic commodity have gone through the roof and it's time Jubilee went home," he said.