The PM was addressing grassroots leaders from the North Rift region who had invited him to Eldoret for a consultative meeting and to express their support for his presidential bid/PMPS
Emphasising that election as president or deputy president was not a deterrent to The Hague process, the Prime Minister made it clear that the only way out of the court was for those facing the charges to prove their innocence.
The PM was addressing grassroots leaders from the North Rift region who had invited him to Eldoret for a consultative meeting and to express their support for his presidential bid.
Odinga pointed out that as country, Kenya has always wanted its nationals facing charges at the ICC to be tried locally, a position he added had not changed.
He committed himself to lobby to have the four Kenyans facing charges at The Hague tried locally if elected president during the general election on March 4, 2013.
Odinga at the same time dismissed claims by Eldoret North MP William Ruto that he was instrumental in convincing members of the Kalenjin community to vote for him in the last election.
Noting that Kenyans were politically mature to elect leaders of their own choice, Odinga said it was preposterous for any one leader to claim credit for the votes he received from the Rift Valley in the last election.
Once again Odinga apologised to the Kalenjin community if he had wronged them when executing his duties as the Prime Minister, saying it was never his intention to hurt anyone.
He said: “We have always walked together with you as a community to bring positive changes to this country. I urge you once again to join me in this journey which we did not complete last time.”
Odinga reminded the audience that the greatest achievement in the country in recent times was realisation of the constitution but hastened to add that the constitution was only a paper that needed committed leaders to implement.
“This document will help ensure that all Kenyans accessed basic rights to health, education and equity, while fighting social ills like corruption and impunity,” he added.
He said: “We have always walked together with you as a community to bring positive changes to this country. I urge you once again to join me in this journey which we did not complete last time.”
The leaders reaffirmed their support for the Prime Minister saying their interest as a community and that of Kenyans in general will be safeguarded under Odinga’s leadership.
The leaders drawn mainly from North Rift counties of Nandi, Keiyo/Marakwet ,Uasin Gishu, West Pokot, Trans Nzoia and Mt Elgon stated that they overwhelmingly supported the PM in 2007 for the country’s presidency and nothing had changed that position.
The leaders cautioned a section of politicians from the community against what they said were attempts to auction the community wholesale.
“No one has consulted us about the political direction our community is taking nor whom to support in the coming presidential race, it is therefore dishonest for any of our political leaders to purport to have the support of the community in backing another presidential candidate other than the PM,” they added.
One of the leaders Kipkorir arap Menjo asked the Eldoret North MP William Ruto and Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta to tame their presidential ambitions in view of the cases facing them at the ICC saying the country risked facing international sanctions if the two were elected into office as president and deputy president.
“We are not ready to risk our country being a pariah state to satisfy the egos of two individuals,” he noted.
Speaker after speaker exonerated the PM from blame over the Mau issue and over the jailing of Kalenjin youths suspected to have been involved in the post election violence, noting that indeed in both cases he acted in the best interests of the community.
They noted that the PM simply led efforts to save the Mau in his official capacity while acknowledging that he also went out his way to have the youth who had been arrested set free.
During the function, more than 60 officials from the United Republican Party (URP) defected to ODM reportedly because they had disagreed with URP party leader Ruto’s move to compel the Kalenjin community to support the presidential candidature of Kenyatta.
Cabinet Ministers Henry Kosgey, Sally Kosgei, Franklin Bett, Musa Sirma, several assistant ministers and MPs also attended the event.
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