MPs query if Raila, Oburu own land in Kiang’ombe

WEDNESDAY, 14 DECEMBER 2011 00:02 BY FRANCIS MUREITHI

ON THE SPOT: MPs demand to know whether Raila Odinga and his brother Oburu Oginga owns land in Kiang'ombe.

MPs have demanded to know whether Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his brother Oburu Odinga own a parcel of land in Kiang’ombe where houses were demolished a few days ago. This is after temporary Speaker Joyce Laboso ruled as authentic documents tabled by Water assistant minister Ferdinand Waititu linking Raila and Oburu to a company that owns a parcel of land near the Kenya Airports Authority.

Laboso ruled as authentic documents indicating that Raila and Oburu were among the shareholders of Newspoint Ltd. She also ruled as authentic a search from the Ministry of Lands indicating that the company owned land. “On the face of it, these are admissible documents,” she said, noting that one document from the Registrar of Companies and signed by the deputy registrar indicated that Raila owned 3,500 shares in the company.

But she said she was not in a position to rule on whether that land lies in Kiang’ombe where demolitions took place as claimed by Waititu, and referred the matter to Lands minister James Orengo. The minister undertook to report back to Parliament today. Ikolomani MP Bonny Khalwale demanded that the truth be ascertained. “Surely Kenyans want to know if their own Prime Minister is involved in impunity,” said Khalwale as MPs debated a report on the Syokimau and Kiang’ombe demolitions.

Tabling the documents, Waititu also mentioned Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo as another politician with interests in the area where the demolitions took place. He said the demolition was instigated by senior politicians, arguing that the land where the demolitions were carried out was not part of the flight path. “The people who demolished did so as instigated by some senior people,” said Waititu. But Orengo hit back at Waititu saying the Embakasi MP should be the last person to talk about land ownership in Nairobi.

Youth Affairs assistant minister Kabando wa Kabando said Waititu was being intimidated for telling the truth. Kabando alleged that Orengo was heading a corrupt ministry and termed the demolitions as violations of social justice and a strategy to exterminate the poor. “There are sacred cows in this Parliament, there are sacred people in this House,” said Kabando. He said Orengo had failed to reform the ministry despite his past record of being a defender of human rights and a champion of democracy.

Gichugu MP Martha Karua said political interest had taken centre stage in the demolitions. “This government has lost any claim to be reformist,” said Karua, demanding full compensation of those evicted and their homes demolished by the government. Eldoret North MP William Ruto accused the government of ignoring the plight of the poor and also demanded full compensation of those evicted.

Eldama Ravine MP Moses Lesonet lamented that Orengo fought for human rights when he was outside the government but failed the country when handed a Cabinet position. “We are coming to the end of 10th Parliament and the Ministry of Lands is becoming dirtier that it was before. You have one year Mr Orengo to redeem yourself,” said the MP.

Orengo supported the report by the committee agreeing that guidelines on evictions were not followed. He called for the establishment of a modern information management system in the Lands ministry. The minister said without a modern system, even the Pope could not clean the Ministry of Lands. “We require funding to modernise and digitise the Lands records. It is not just a matter of having a computer,” he said.