Raila's charm offensive on muslims

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Prime Minister at a past function. PHOTO / FILE 

By JEREMIAH KIPLANG’AT jkiplangat@ke.nationmedia.com
Posted  Thursday, August 2  2012 at  05:20

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has reached out to the Muslim community saying he was the right person to work with them.

The PM on Wednesday hosted Muslim faithful from Nairobi at an Iftar dinner to break the day’s fasting at the Intercontinental Hotel in Nairobi where he asked them to work with him as he seeks the presidential seat.

Speaking in parables, Mr Odinga said: “the Kenyan plane is on the brink of take-off. It has already left its hangar, has already taxied and is now on the runaway. Now it only needs a pilot. This is where I’m asking you to work with me.”

The Muslims led by clerics from Jamia Mosque asked the Prime Minister to ensure the constitution is fully implemented to enable Kenyans enjoy wholesomely the fruits from it.

“We would like to see the National Police Service Commission coming to place as soon as possible. Any further delay would perpetuate further suffering of Kenyans in the hands of the police,” said Supreme Council of Kenya Muslims secretary general Adan Wachu.

The PM did not respond to the request as signs of the new commission starting to function recede after Parliament rejected appointments made by the President and the Prime Minister.

Mr Odinga, a presidential frontrunner in the coming elections, also praised the faithful for the way they reacted to the grenade and gun attacks on two churches in Garissa that killed 17 people and wounded dozens.

Iftar is a fast breaking occasion held every evening by Muslims during the holy month of Ramadhan.

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Meanwhile, the PM once again condemned the appointment of county commissioners by President Kibaki saying the move was “retrogressive and represented the works of those against devolution and reforms.”

He said the hurried appointments effected in May by the President were not in line with the ongoing government restructuring envisaged in the new constitution.

“How will the county commissioners work with the governors? And how will they perform their duties while the counties are not yet fully operational?” the PM posed.

Without mentioning names Mr Odinga said the people behind the push for the continuance in office of the commissioners were the same persons who would go all the way to “cancel the (constitutional) gains made by Kenyans at a greater price.”