Cord Leader Raila Odinga on Monday took the Okoa Kenya campaign to change the Constitution to Machakos ahead of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s visit to the county on Wednesday.
Mr Odinga accused the governing Jubilee Alliance of seeking to divide the Opposition coalition with an eye on the next General Election.
“We are united,” he told a rally at the Mulu Mutisya Gardens. “I cannot leave my colleagues behind. Those are the schemes of the Jubilee government to divide and rule.”
The other leader in the coalition, Wiper Democratic Party’s Kalonzo Musyoka, urged suspended Lands and Urban Planning Cabinet Secretary Charity Ngilu to join them.
Mrs Ngilu has been under investigation over suspect land deals. She was on Monday cleared of one allegation but the anti-corruption commission is yet to complete investigations into two others.
“I ask Charity (Ngilu) to quickly leave Jubilee and join us so that we can okoa Kenya together. There is no difference between Ngilu and Kalonzo,” he said.
President Kenyatta appointed Mrs Ngilu was to the Cabinet after she lost the Kitui senatorial race to Mr David Musila of Cord.
On Wednesday, Mr Kenyatta will be in Machakos to launch the upgrading of Machakos Level 5 Hospital. He will be hosted by Machakos Governor Alfred Mutua.
A RAW DEAL
Mr Odinga said it was instructive that Mr Musyoka was present when he, Mr Odinga, launched his website a fortnight ago.
Mr Musyoka said Mr Mumo Matemu, who resigned as the chairman of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission earlier this month had also been forced to quit.
According to him, this was an indication that leaders from the lower eastern region were being given a raw deal by the Jubilee government. He said Okoa Kenya was seeking to liberate the country from tribalism.
He also told those who were alleging that Mr Odinga was the automatic Cord presidential candidate for the next election that the coalition would not be split by such talk.
“Some people are saying Raila has started his campaign. They want to divide us but I will be even happy when I see a Turkana become President one day,” said Mr Musyoka.
Mr Odinga said the crisis being experienced in public hospitals, where health workers have frequently been going on strike, was due to the government’s failure to release Sh50 billion meant for the health sector, now a devolved function.
Senate Minority Leader Moses Wetang’ula said the Cord leadership would not be divided by claims about Mr Odinga’s candidacy.
“Kalonzo and I know where we are going. We will walk with Kenyans,” said Mr Wetangula, adding that their mission was to save the country from corruption.
15 PER CENT OF JOBS
He also said no single community should take more than 15 per cent of jobs in the government. Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama said the Okoa Kenya campaign was the only hope for Kenyans.
He accused one political family of owning large tracts of land while many Kenyans remained landless.
Mr Muthama also warned Governor Mutua, who will be hosting the President on Wednesday, that “his days are numbered”.
Governor Mutua was not present at the rally but his Deputy, Mr Bernard Kiala, a Muthama ally, was in attendance.
-nation.co.ke
