By Oscar Obonyo; July 26th 2014
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| Uhuru Kenyatta with Raila Odinga during national Prayers before the 2013 elections |
NAIROBI, KENYA: Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) leader Raila Odinga has dared President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration to arrest and charge him, if the Government has any proof of his culpability in current runaway insecurity.
Enraged by President Uhuru’s remark that the attacks in Lamu were linked to Opposition’s political activities, and the sensational claims by Mombasa County Commissioner Nelson Marwa that he had evidence linking the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to the ongoing killings, Raila has challenged the government to either act or stop maligning his name.
“We have said before, and we are saying it again – if we are responsible for the current anarchy then arrest us,” dared the former Prime Minister with reference to CORD co-principals, former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Senate Minority Leader Moses Wetang’ula.
In an interview with The Standard on Sunday, Raila views the President’s sentiments as repeated ‘unsubstantiated wild claims’ alongside Interior Cabinet Secretary Joseph ole Lenku’s, Marwa’s remarks at a Press conference recently and comments by the National Assembly Majority Aden Duale to the effect that CORD and al-Shabaab were ‘speaking the same language’, as part of a wider scheme directed at CORD leaders.
“They arrested Lamu Governor Issa Timmamy and are now asking for more time to carry out investigations on his perceived role in the Lamu killings. Was he identified because the President said the attack was political or is he being tortured on our behalf?” asked Raila.
Raila is irked by the “unsubstantiated wild claims” that his party or coalition may be behind the killings of “my very own supporters in the Coast region”. The Coast region voted overwhelmingly for Raila in last year’s polls. The latest incident in Likoni, which left four people dead, happened at Segar Bar and is largely patronised by residents from Nyanza region.
Contacted for comment over Raila’s arrest challenge, the President’s spokesperson and Head of the Presidential Strategic Communication Unit, Manoah Esipisu curtly said, “Of course the former PM understands well that the President does not arrest suspects. We can’t comment any further.”
“However, we shall not hesitate to deal with their supporters who engage in illegal activities, political or otherwise, and where evidence is provided they will be dealt with according to the law,” said Duale.
Nonetheless,
Raila tore into Uhuru’s handling of security matters and accused the government of chest-thumping and playing politics on the graves of Kenyans. “They have always talked of leaving no stone unturned in their pursuit of criminal elements. Let them tell us how many stones they have turned and what they have found beneath,” said Raila.
Diversionary tactics
He said the allegations that CORD speaks the same language as al-Shabaab among others are part of the government’s diversionary tactics to evade the open glare over their poor handling of the security situation. “In the Westgate attack, al-Shabaab claimed responsibility and the Government consented to the claim, vowing to vanquish them. But when they did the same in Mpeketoni, the same government declined to acknowledge al-Shabaab’s responsibility, choosing instead to blame it on local politics. So who between us is in touch with al- Shabaab or claims to understand their operations better” asked Raila.
Meanwhile, Raila claims Jubilee is running scared over the referendum question. He singled out the Interior CS ‘who recently made ‘the very unfortunate claim’ that CORD was promising to dish land to Kenyans to get them sign up in support for the referendum. He says the Opposition is neither running government nor does it have parcels of public land to dish out’
“If Duale is still blind, then let me remind him that these are the clouds and signs of the rain I have been talking about. A panicky Lenku seems to be aware that rain is about to fall and he is sounding alarm bells already,” says Raila, who advised Duale ‘to take cover otherwise he will be totally soaked by the rain’.
But noting that Raila is his friend and political mentor, whom he understands well, Duale observes the former PM has been talking about tsunami, thunder and rain since 2007 “but unfortunately he now lives in a political desert where it hardly rains”.
Instead, the Garissa Town MP asks Raila to stay close to him because soon “you may need some water from the Jubilee Government”.
Describing the Raila-Kalonzo-Wetang’ula trio as senior officials in the previous government who, as Prime Minister, Vice President and Foreign Affairs minister, signed various accords at the United Nations, African Union and Intergovernmental Authority on Development on behalf of Government to enter Somalia, Duale wonders why they are now contradicting their actions.
Raila recalls he was in government when a decision to pursue terror gangs in Somalia under the aegis of “Linda Nchi” were made. The understanding then, he explains, was that the operation was short-term and meant to secure Kenyan borders. Kenya Defense Forces (KDF) managed to smoke out Al Shabaab militants and liberate Kismayu, and in the process helped the Ugandan forces that had been marooned in Mogadishu to venture out.
Raila opines that KDF should have retreated at that point and left Uganda and other far off countries to continue with the peace mission in Somalia.
“I would have pulled our forces out of Somalia. This is the diplomatic practice world over – that a country that shares a border with another cannot take its forces to that state because of vested interests and security reasons. And as long as our forces remain in Somalia, we shall continue to suffer retaliatory attacks,” Raila said.
Claiming a lot of Kenyan soldiers have been killed in Somalia as a result, Raila wonders why coffins are secretly driven back into the country for burial instead of being received publicly and given the befitting honour. Separately, Raila has defended the decision by CORD to strip the Kilifi North MP Gideon Mung’aro of the National Assembly Minority Whip position saying, “We have a parliamentary team that must be effective, yet we have a situation where our captain is wearing our team colours but scoring own goals. We are freeing him so that he can wear Jubilee colours and play for them.”
Kenyans perspective
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