Brace for tough battle, Raila tells rivals

HEZRON NJOROGE | NATION Prime Minister Raila Odinga campaigns for the ODM Kamukunji parliamentary by-election aspirant Ibrahim Ahmed (right) on May 10, 2011. Mr Odinga said the by-election would be a rehearsal of 2012 General Election.

By LUCAS BARASA lbarassa@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Tuesday, May 10 2011 at 22:00

In Summary

• PM leads 10 ministers in the campaign for ODM aspirant in Kamukunji

Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Tuesday told his opponents to prepare for a bruising battle in the 2012 presidential elections.

The PM said he had won the 2007 elections but his votes were stolen and that next year would be his turn for a clean sweep to State House.

Speaking during a whistle-stop tour of Kamukunji constituency where he led 10 Cabinet ministers and MPs in campaigning for ODM candidate Ibrahim Ahmed, Mr Odinga said the May 23 by-elections would be a rehearsal for 2012.

Return to the race

“My votes were stolen at the Kenyatta International Conference Centre. Next year, I will return to the race. We are preparing now,” Mr Odinga said.

The PM accused his opponents of forming tribal groupings and being against the implementation of the Constitution.

“The prophets of doom who tried to mislead Kenyans about the new Constitution and the so-called watermelons have re grouped, but let me tell them a major tsunami is coming that will sweep all the garbage to the sea.”

Mr Odinga said the merchants of impunity had also orchestrated the removal of Budalang’i MP Ababu Namwamba as the chair of the parliamentary committee on Justice and Legal Affairs.

He said that ODM was the only party with a national outlook and interests of Kenyans at heart.

Pleading with locals to vote for Mr Ahmed, the PM said just like him, the ODM candidate’s votes were stolen in 2007 parliamentary elections forcing him to file a petition in court that necessitated the by-election.

Mr Ahmed’s win, he said, would increase ODM’s numbers in Parliament, a thing that would ease implementation of the Constitution and boost the party’s efforts to capture power.

Mr Odinga took issue with the rendition of Kenyans to Uganda to face trial of last year’s bomb blast in Kampala and demanded that they be released.

He directed the City Council of Nairobi to waive rent arrears of traders operating at Burma market and stop issuing rental cards to residents of Shauri Moyo Estate.

He announced that the government would implement a multi-billion-shilling master plan for development of Eastleigh following the completion of a taskforce report.

Roads minister Franklin Bett said Sh430 million out of required Sh5 billion had been allocated for construction of roads in Eastleigh.

Lands minister James Orengo accused ODM’s rivals of being behind problems facing Kenyans.

Mr Ahmed asked Kamukunji residents to vote for him, saying he was born in the area and is the only candidate who could address their problems.