Sunday, September 30, 2012
Ida Odinga speaks out on her role in ODM campaigns
By Mwaniki Munuhe
Despite her high status and proximity to power, and in the face of high level accusations of acting in a manner capable of costing a political party largely seen as a front runner in the General Election its most necessary unity, she chose to remain quiet and watch events unfold.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s wife Ida Odinga told The Standard On Sunday of her experience in Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) politics and the source of her differences with some politicians in ODM.
Mrs Odinga has lately been in focus over the management of the presidential campaigns of Prime Minister Raila Odinga in a move that has seen some MPs threatening to quit the party.
At one time, the Prime Minister’s campaign group popularly known as ‘ODM Reloaded Team’ stopped their campaigns for Raila, as members, made up of youthful MPs, accused her of interference.
“ODM Team Reloaded have not spoken to me. That is a different entity. I am only involved in Simbanduki, which is concerned purely with the presidential campaigns until after the nominations so that then I am able to campaign for all ODM candidates countrywide. For now, however, we have no preferred candidate everybody should go to the nominations and win the ticket competitively. Mimi simbanduki, niko hapo hapo,” she said
Already, Rachel Shebesh, ODM nominated MP has decamped to Deputy Prime Minister Uhuru Kenyatta’s TNA. Her leaving the Orange party has been widely attributed to strainedrelationship between her and the Mrs Odinga.
No personal differences
Ida, however, told the Standard On Sunday that whereas she has no personal differences with any member of the party, and has tried over time to restrain herself from responding to the allegations leveled against her, she continues to be bashed for reasons not clear to her.
“I do not know why they keep dragging me in issues I am not even aware of. They should tell people the truth. They cannot be saying they want to leave ODM because it is undemocratic because they are the policy makers in ODM. They sit in meetings to develop policies for the party Ida Odinga doesn’t. Would they be saying that they developed bad policies and now they want to run away from them? ODM is still the most democratic party in Kenya today,” she said.
Part of the differences between Mrs Odinga and the disgruntled members of ODM revolves largely around nominations.
“We have said if you are a Member of Parliament today, whether elected or nominated, then go and contest an elective seat because you are a strong woman now. You can’t wait in the line to be nominated to Parliament. What will happen to marginalised women because we also want them to become stronger,” she said.
Trouble exploded during the ODM Women League elections when a team led by MPs Joyce Laboso, Rachel Shebesh, and Millie Odhiambo lost.
The team accused Kasarani MP Elizabeth Ongoro and Mrs Odinga of frustrating them in the elections.
Ida, however, denies having in any way interfered with the event.
“I can confirm to you that I was not part of the event. The current chair is somebody I did not even know so there is no way I could have campaigned for her. Those accusing me should blame themselves because they were in charge. They conducted the elections and surely when you bring people to come and vote and you lose, then there must be a problem. But that notwithstanding, for the voice women of this country to be strong, we need to be many. We don’t want one person holding five positions,” she said.
Ida, however, said she is of the view that Shebesh, among other disgruntled MPs, should not leave the party and that they should come back to ODM and seek solutions internally.
“My advice to them is that they would rather come back and lose at home. Because even where they are going, they would be treated with suspicion. They may not even get the seats they want. Quitters are not winners, and winners never quit. If your house is in trouble, sort it out, don’t run to your neighbour’s house,” she said, adding that women must be encouraged to take up leadership positions.
Raila tours South Rift as Laboso defects to Ruto’s URP party
By Beauttah Omanga
Prime Minister Raila Odinga takes his campaign to South Rift Region today after defection of Sotik MP Joyce Laboso to Eldoret North MP William Ruto’s URP.
Raila is expected to preside over the official opening of a church at Siongiroi Town in Chepalungu Constituency, which neighbours Sotik.
The Premier enjoys support in the area after he supported plan for a district headquarters in the area. Raila is scheduled to hold a rally at Siongiroi centre after the church service before proceeding to Nyamira County tomorrow.
On Saturday, Ruto said he will be holding a rally in Dr Laboso’s constituency in the course of the week and she will attend.
“Ruto is a respected leader from my community and given that he will be meeting and talking to my electorate, I will be attending,” the Sotik MP had earlier said.
The rally was to be held on Saturday in Sotik town but sources said it was put off as Ruto was not available.
Asked then if she planned to join the Eldoret North MP’s URP party Laboso said: “Let’s leave that for now. I will respond to that another day.”
The Sotik MP who stepped into her late sister’s shoes after she died in a plane crash has remained a key supporter of Raila even when majority of Rift Valley MPs deserted him and followed Ruto.
Recently, Laboso, Roads Minister Franklin Bett, assistant ministers Beatrice Kones and Magerer Langat resigned from an ad hoc committee formed by the PM to oversee the Mau resettlement.
Resettlement
She told The Standard on Sunday that her decision to resign was informed by the plight of families evicted from the Mau complex who have been given false promises for two years as they camped in makeshift structures.
“My people’s interest come first and we are concerned with the manner in which the Government has handled the resettlement,” she said.
The MPs threatened to reconsider their association with ODM if the Mau evictees were not immediately resettled.
However, the PM acted swiftly and promised to resettle the families in a week. Sources said the resettlement was to commence on Saturday with some being moved to either Majani Mingi in Rongai Constituency and others to an identified area within Kericho County.
Laboso admitted that the Mau issue had become a major political tool and was being used against her by competitors.
She said it was the responsibility of the Government to ensure citizens lived in comfort.?If she defects to Ruto’s URP, then chances will be high that other pro-Raila MPs in South Rift might give in to pressure and decamp from ODM.
Speaking two months ago at URP rallies held in the region by Ruto, Laboso said she was ready to work with him for the interest of the Kalenjin community even though she then ruled out defection from ODM.
The other three pro-Raila MPs from South Rift are said to be under intense pressure to join URP if they wanted to be re-elected.
“There is a strong pro-Ruto wave in the entire Rift Valley and this is the time for our people to stand up and be counted. We are looking forward to being a united URP force in the near future,” said Belgut MP Charles Keter.
Keter and Dujis MP Aden Duale said URP is the party to watch and many more surprises were on the way.
Giving conditions
“We have been telling Kenyans across the parties that Ruto is a man to watch and URP is a party for the future. Many leaders will be joining URP soon,” said Duale.
Bett, now the senior and most influential member of the Kipsigis community in South Rift is being watched keenly with his supporters giving conditions for his continued stay in ODM. They want Raila to nominate the minister as his running mate.
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