NAIROBI, KENYA: Most CORD-allied governors, including Nairobi’s Evans Kidero and Mombasa’s Hassan Joho, Monday skipped Saba Saba rally, which was mainly attended by MPs and senators from the coalition.
Of CORD’s 24 governors, only three – Julius Malombe (Kitui), Kivutha Kibwana (Makueni) and Jack Ranguma (Kisumu) – attended the rally.
Mr Malombe warned that slashing of funds to the counties could frustrate devolution.
“Money must come to the grassroots. We do not want devolution to be interfered with by the national government,” he said.
Prof Kibwana also took a swipe at the national government, saying the Saba Saba rally was meant to push the Jubilee administration to respect the Constitution.
“As governors, we have come to demand that devolution must work. One of the cardinal aims of dialogue is to discuss issues that affect the youth,” said Kibwana.
The governor, who was among the group that was in the fore front in fighting for Second Liberation, told the crowd that the fight for the new Constitution was not in vain and that the Jubilee Government had the responsibility to protect the gains.
“The first Saba Saba in 1990 was to demand for the release of Kenneth Matiba, and the second was to ask for a return to multiparty democracy. In 2014, we are asking that the Constitution must be respected. As governors, we have come to ask that the Constitution must work,” he said.
Mr Ranguma also claimed that the Government was not keen on implementing the Constitution as there were schemes to ensure citizens do not enjoy the fruits of the supreme law.
During the last rally held to welcome Odinga on his return from the United States, Kidero was booed by CORD supporters who accused him of being a Jubilee sympathiser.
In his absence, Deputy Governor Jonathan Mueke addressed the crowd.
-standardmedia.co.ke
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment