I have fought tougher wars, Raila warns rivals

By GEORGE OLWENYA and ALLAN KISIA

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has told his opponents in the G7 Alliance’s that he is ready to face them at the presidential ballot.

Raila said he has fought and won several tough battles in the past and was prepared for the battle royale with his opponents.

An administrator calms ODM rival groups which engaged each other in a war of words in the presence of Prime Minister Raila Odinga at Ejinja village, Matungu. [PHOTO: BENJAMIN SAKWA]

"I have fought bigger battles than this one being orchestrated by the G7 Alliance and the battle is always good when you have a strong opponent," declared Raila.

Raila said he was a stronger candidate and that is why his opponents had ganged up to derail his presidential bid.

Raila spoke as 15 ODM MPs from Nyanza and Western provinces asserted that the party remained the most popular and would emerge stronger after the presidential nominations pitting Raila against his deputy Musalia Mudavadi.

Total change

They were speaking during the burial of Dorcas Chek Gumbo, the mother of Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo at Okenye village in Asembo, Rarieda District.

The legislators, led by Cabinet ministers James Orengo, Otieno Kajwang’, Wycliffe Oparanya and Assistant minister Alfred Khangati, declared that Western and Nyanza must remain focused in ODM and expressed optimism that Raila would win the party ticket and presidency.

"We are out to push the cause for total change because the struggle today is between reformers and reactionary forces who have stood against change all along," said Orengo.

Kajwang’ said ODM was the only party with a national outlook and was ready for presidency.

Matungu MP David Were maintained that ODM believed in democracy and that was why Raila had accepted Mudavadi’s challenge for the party’s presidential ticket.

The rivalry between ODM officials in Matungu played out before Raila with rivals exchanging verbal jabs.

The confrontation interrupted a funeral ceremony at Ejinja village for half an hour as Raila, his wife, Ida, and other dignitaries watched in disbelief. Trouble started when Councillor Fredrick Kuvendo of Koyonzo Ward told the PM that area MP David Were was of no use to him.

"Prime Minister, I want you to know that Were is not an asset for you. You are losing votes here because of him," he told the mourners.

He further said Were had refused to concede defeat to Paul Posho in the concluded grassroots elections for the Matungu sub-branch chairmanship seat.

Even before he concluded his speech, Were’s supporters were up in arms. Security officers, including those of the PM, were forced to move in to prevent Were’s supporters from getting to the councillor.