Raila Scoffs At Nyagah Defection, Says Cord To Win

Prime Minister Raila Odinga and his wife Ida (partly hidden) join traditional dancers during a Cord rally at Loitoktok town yesterday.

BY PMPS AND THE PEOPLE TEAM
MONDAY, 17 DECEMBER, 2012

Raila scoffs at Nyagah defection..

Prime Minister Raila Odinga yesterday reacted to the defection of the last of his former ODM Pentagon allies, Co- operatives minister Joe Nyagah,saying it would not hurt the chances for the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) to which he will be the flag bearer.Raila said Cord will triumph during the coming polls without the input of those who had defected recently. Nyagah on Saturday joined the Jubilee Alliance, which brings together two other former Pentagon members, Musalia Mudavadi and William Ruto alongside Uhuru Kenyatta. Raila said the contribution of politicians who decamped to other parties was inconsequential to the Cord victory insisting the alliance will be the team to beat during the March 4 election, which he described as historic. The Premier told a rally at the Loitotok border town that Cord which comprises ODM, Wiper Democratic Movement (WDM) and Ford Kenya is unstoppable and will form the next government. Raila, who was on a campaign trail in the South Rift region, said the Cord administration will enact the proposed laws on communal land ownership to protect the group ranches.

Commercial land

In the past week, Raila has repeatedly said if he won the presidency his government will tax idle commercial land.The PM, who earlier in the day attended a church service at the Loitotok African InlandChurch (AIC), said the new law on land will deal with historical injustices the communities in the region had suffered over the years.“The communal land laws will protect the group ranches from further interference and take such properties beyond the control of a few individuals because it would be under community ownership” he said.

His comments came following public outcry over sub-division of group ranches and their leasing to individuals without the consent of the stakeholders.He promised to start the next phase of infrastructural development if he wins the next elections. He asked residents to register as voters in large numbers before the expiry of of tomorrow’s deadline. He was accompanied by his wife Ida Odinga, Lands minister James Orengo and his Heritage counterpart William Ntimama among other local leaders.