PM dismisses Ruto allies' talk of young leadership

By Boniface Ongeri

Prime Minister Raila Odinga ended his two-day visit in North Eastern Province with a bare knuckle attack of the "KKK" alliance.

The PM said some of the leaders who were fronting for generational change to youthful leadership are tribal chauvinists whose track records are questionable.

He said those who opposed the passing of the new Constitution were regrouping to form tribal alliances and spread propaganda.

"They are saying it is time for youth but most of them have old mindsets. Leadership is not about age. They call me an old geezer, am I their father?" the PM posed during a rally at Garissa Primary School.

BHANG ADDICTS

He likened those challenging him to mice that had a common enemy, cat, but none of them was ready to face the enemy directly.

"They appear youthful but some of them have old mentality. Some are drunkards, and bhang addicts," he taunted.

The PM said the "KKK" alliance was not a threat to his presidential ambition. "We don’t want tribal politics like the "KKK". What we want is leadership pegged on intellectual abilities and policy ideals and that is what ODM is selling out," he said.

He revisited the 2007 General election saying that ODM had been voted in but the results were doctored.

"But come 2012, ODM will be in charge of government where we will fight diseases, ignorance, poverty and bad governance," he argued.

Drought assessment

The PM, who was accompanied by Deputy Premier Musalia Mudavadi and several Cabinet ministers and 11 MPs, held a well attended rally after concluding his assessment of the drought situation in Northern Kenya.

Mudavadi had led another team to Mandera separately to consolidate the wavering ODM support and Raila Presidential bid before they reunited in Garissa.

The PM said the Cabinet would meet soon to discuss school fees waiver for students from pastoral communities in the wake if a severe drought ravaging parts of northern Kenya until the situation normalises.

"I will take the matter for discussion at Cabinet level before making the Government decision public," he said.

The PM said Government had had given out Sh490 million to help the starving and was buying livestock to help livestock farmers from losing their animals to drought.

He said the State will buy the livestock between sh10,000 and Sh12,000, up from Sh8, 000 during the 2006 drought.