NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 8 – Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga’s quest for the presidency has been endorsed by top Mt Kenya leaders and tycoons who have vowed to also support his Azimio La Umoja Initiative.
The leaders have pledged to attend Odinga’s Azimio La Umoja convention at the Kasarani Stadium.
A joint declaration read out by Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Peter Munya, during a meeting of Mt Kenya Foundation leaders, said the region will fully support Odinga “because we want a leader who will steer President Uhuru Kenyatta’s legacy.”
Munya said Mt Kenya leaders resolved to support Odinga due to his assurance and committment to the implementation of the constitutional principle of democratic and fair representation, equality of the vote in representation, and equitable resource allocation (One Man, One Vote, One Shilling).
They also favoured Odinga due to his demonstration of commitment to “guarantee our fair share of government commensurate with our real population strength. A commitment to increase the devolution fund. Respect for property rights.”
“Consequently, we commit to work with Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga to build on President Kenyatta’s legacy and make Kenya a great country that every Kenyan is proud to call home,” the declaration read out in the presence of Odinga concludes.
Wednesday’s meeting was attended by dozens of leaders, among them Governors Hassan Joho or Mombasa, Francis Kimemia of Nyandarua.
Without naming any particular presidential aspirant, the leaders said they will not be comfortable to see Kenyans led by leaders who are tainted with corruption and who have no firm commitment to protecting the Constitution.
“We do not feel safe in the hands of individuals with a history of looting public coffers, land grabbing and perpetrating the displacement of our people,” they said, and revealed plans to form a technical team to negotiate on the issues they want addressed as part of their pre-election pact with Odinga.
Among issues they want addressed by Odinga in their pact is the resettlement of people who were displaced in the 2017 elections, tackle economic challenges across the country and carry on with President Kenyatta’s legacy of development.
“Being an industrious people, our economy-related issues are complex, and cannot be reduced to a mere slogan, catchy phrases or handouts. Our region requires a coherent and comprehensive plan to recast and address our development and economic needs,” they said.
The group appears to read from the same script with Kenyatta who has made it clear that he favours Odinga as his successor as opposed to his Deputy William Ruto whom they fell out with two years ago.
Why Mt Kenya Foundation remains influential in the political discourse
Ruto is campaigning under his United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party and has told off the Mt Kenya tycoons for “planning to endorse a candidate for Kenyans.”
While Odinga and One Kenya Alliance (OKA) leaders Musalia Mudavadi (Amani National Congress), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper), Gideon Moi (KANU) and Moses Wetangula (FORD Kenya) who are all keen on the presidency were invited to a meeting by the tycoons two months ago, Ruto vowed he won’t attend ‘hotel interviews.’
Ruto has declared he does not need “anyone’s endorsement and vowed to seek votes directly from the people, saying, “I have God and the People.”
