War of words as Uhuru Kenyatta blasts CORD over talks

President Uhuru Kenyatta greets the crowd at Keroka trading centre in Kisii County where he held a rally yesterday. [PHOTO:ERIC ABUGA]

Kenya: The cancellation by State House of a planned national conference has opened a new battlefront between the Jubilee Government and CORD. President Uhuru Kenyatta’s allies and MPs from Raila Odinga’s Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) yesterday exchanged bitter words about the national rebirth conference that State House explained on Sunday had been postponed indefinitely citing its alleged “politicisation”.

National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale and his Senate counterpart Kithure Kindiki accused the opposition of dishonesty, claiming their calls for national dialogue were designed to claim credit for a conference the Government scheduled in July.

But CORD leaders including Senators Anyang Nyong’o (Kisumu) and Otieno Kajwang (Homa Bay) denied prior knowledge of the planned national rebirth conference, and insisted the Government must convene national talks to discuss challenges facing Kenyans.

And speaking in Kisii and Nyamira counties, President Uhuru Kenyatta asked the Opposition to stop insulting the Presidency and allow him to govern.

“Campaigns have their time and they ended with the last elections. There is no need of keeping Kenyans on a campaign mood for five years. Opposition is good, but opposition does not mean insults. It means giving checks and balances on the performance of the Government…Tell this man (seen as a reference to CORD leader Raila Odinga) to leave me alone so that I can do my work,” President Uhuru said.

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Jubilee leaders accompanying him kept up the crusade against the talks championed by CORD.

But it is the cancellation of the conference whose participants, according to the Government, included CORD leaders Raila, Kalonzo Musyoka, supposedly to discuss how to transform the country that ignited the latest feud between rival coalitions.

Yesterday Kindiki blamed the Opposition for its cancellation.

“When the Opposition realised that the Government was preparing such an important conference, they took it to public rallies for their own extremely partisan and selfish interests with their irresponsible manner that only serves to polarise the country further,” Kindiki said.

The Tharaka Nithi senator claimed the politicisation of the conference confirmed Jubilee’s fear that CORD’s agenda was about ethnic incitement and to derail the government agenda.

“We support the cancellation of the conference because it had been politicised and polarised. The President should continue with his plan to have Kenyans talk with each other, the voice of the small parties should be heard as those of big parties and all those outside government listened to,” Kindiki added.

Duale accused CORD of perpetuating ethnic animosity when the country was healing from the 2007/08 post-election violence wounds.

“CORD has no specific good agenda for the country. The Opposition has lost direction. They cannot moot a serious agenda like national dialogue conference in public rallies as it should include experts and experienced leaders with high moral standing,” Duale said.

“The conference was a serious forum to seek solutions to unite the country. It could not go on because politicians had prepared to combat one another rather than to dialogue,” he added.

But Kajwang’ warned the Government against seeking excuses to fail to hold talks with the opposition as ‘the consequences would be bitter’.

He dismissed suggestions that CORD got wind of the Government’s preparations for the national rebirth conference and stole it so as to be seen as having forced the Government to the negotiating table.

 “We have put our issues on the table. It’s up to the Government to set the date on which we shall sit with them to hold serious talks on the immediate problems facing the nation. Whether they have cancelled their own conference or not does not form part of the matters we are raising. We will push for the talks,” Kajwang declared. He laughed off reasons State House gave for cancelling the meeting arguing that political meetings discuss political solutions to the problems facing the country.

“What we do not like is the kind of arrogance being displayed by the Deputy President William Ruto who ironically preaches unity and reconciliation to move the country forward while in real sense he is seen drifting away from holding talks with the opposition,” Kajwang’ added.

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Prof Nyong’o said CORD was not aware of a national conference being arranged by the Government to discuss challenges facing the country.

See Also: Raila insists on national dialogue

The ODM secretary general sarcastically added that CORD wasn’t sure about the truthfulness of the Government’s account.

“We never knew about it and even don’t know the truth behind it,” Nyong’o said in a brief text message to The Standard. Suba MP John Mbadi termed as propaganda and a confirmation of the government’s insensitivity to the plight of Kenyans, the indefinite postponement of the ‘purported’ conference initially set for next month.  

“Even the listed agenda for discussion appeared more academic than touching on the real problems we need to confront,” Mbadi claimed.

“Our demand for national dialogue to address the issues we have raised remains. We need to hold talks because the need to have national dialogue has arisen out of necessity,” Mbadi added.

National Assembly Deputy Chief whip Chris Wamalwa accused President Uhuru’s close allies of allegedly frustrating efforts to hold the national dialogue conference.

“We know that the President accepted calls for talks with CORD. It’s on record even during the Madaraka Day celebrations. But what is also apparent is the fact that some close allies surrounding him are behind his refusal and change of heart,” the Kiminini MP added.

Kitutu Chache North MP Jimmy Angwenyi urged the President to ignore CORD’s calls for a national dialogue.

Taveta MP Naomi Shaaban asked Raila to wait for another election in 2017. “Mr President you were voted on the platform of uniting Kenyans. It is a mandate that you must be allowed to fulfill,” she said in Kisii.