It's official, Ida was named to head team

Saturday, 05 March 2011 00:06 BY FRANCIS MUREITHI

NOW CLARIFIED: Ida Odinga receives a book from Susan Komen. Looking on is Aoko Odembo wife of Kenya's US envoy.

IDA Raila was named official leader of a Kenyan delegation to an international women’s conference in New York last week. A clearance letter obtained by the Star and signed by Secretary to the Cabinet and Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura designated Ida head of the delegation and not Gender minister Naomi Shaban.

Muthaura’s letter dated February 10 and addressed to the Gender ministry Permanent Secretary James Nyikal, says Ida was to be “leader of delegation”. Shaban was to be part of the other 11 delegates from Kenya.

Staff from Ida’s office are said to have clashed with those from Shaban’s office over who should head the Kenya delegation to the 55th UN Conference of the Commission on the Status of Women which was to end yesterday.

Delegates at the conference were reportedly treated to a rare drama as the two sets of delegates, one led by Ida and the other Shaban, each insisted they were the official government delegation. Each wanted to present the official government statement.

The Kenyan statement was supposed to be delivered on Wednesday last week but was postponed to the next day to give the two delegations time to resolve the issue.

Documents obtained by the Star indicate that the government had designated Ida head of the delegation and not Shaban. After receiving the letter from Muthaura, Nyikal wrote to the PS in the Prime Minister’s office Mohammed Isahakia to inform him of the positi . “Please note that Mrs Ida Odinga will be the head of the delegation. Kindly facilitate her travel to New York and participation in the CSW,” Nyikal told Isahakia in a letter dated February 14.

Consequently, the ministry of Foreign Affairs on February 23 wrote to Kenya’s permanent representative to the United Nations informing the office that Ida was heading the Kenyan delegation and was to read the official government statement. “I have been directed to inform that Mrs Ida Raila should read the country’s statement at the meeting,” said Ambassador S. K. Maina on behalf of the ministry of Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary.

Yesterday, the Premier Raila's office denied there was a spat between Ida and Shaban in New York and accused Raila’s political opponents of attempting to undermine the PM and his family. “This fabricated story is the first among many false stories that are being generated and circulated in the media by a cabal of lightweight political competitors with the aim of casting aspersions on the Prime Minister and his family,” said the PM’s office in a statement.