BY ROBERT WANYONYI
BUNGOMA, KENYA: Hundreds of youth in Bungoma County staged a demonstration on Friday morning, seeking to have former Prime-Minister Raila Odinga to return to parliament.
Youths led by ODM Bungoma County Chairman George Barasa urged Raila to accept the initiative in order to strengthen opposition politics in the country.
They lashed out at Budalang’i Member of Parliament Ababu Namwamba for issuing a statement on Thursday opposing such a move on grounds that Raila is too senior to accept such an offer. The youth termed Namwamba’s sentiments as a betrayal to CORD.
“We want to tell Mps like Ababu to hold their horses as their statements are clearly showing that their thoughts are not in tandem with the wishes of the majority CORD members,” said Barasa.
He added that Raila’s political experience is badly needed in the Eleventh Parliament in order to give guidance to Cord Mps, majority of who are first-timers and easily prone to manipulation by other parties.
Barasa urged President Uhuru Kenyatta and Deputy President William Ruto to engage Raila in all spheres of nation building, warning that any move to sideline the former PM might be detrimental to the country’s unity and development
He said that in spite of the move by the ruling coalition to make overtures to opposition figures to join the government, Cord members must remain firm and play their rightful role as the official opposition to put the government in check.
“Any move to appoint Cord members to positions in Government would be suicidal because it might kill the official opposition which is enshrined in the constitution,” warned Barasa.
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