Raila Must Stop Obsession With Kenyatta Family Land
BY PETER MURIGIA - The race to succeed President Kibaki hits the home stretch, Cord
presidential candidate Raila Odinga keeps harping on the nationally
emotive issue of land pointedly targeted at his chief competitor, Uhuru
Kenyatt.
This is in the hope that voters will be dissuaded from casting their votes in favour of the Jubilee candidate on March 4.
But instead of Raila’s vote-hunting tricks and obsession with the Kenyatta family land issue earning him support , he ends up creating fear and despondency among voters and investors (existing and potential).
The same trick was used during the first multi-party elections in 1992 when one of the then leading presidential candidates created similar fears by threatening to expel from Kenya business people from a certain community.
The said candidate did not realise his dreams to State House.
Kenyans are not fools. They know too well that the current campaign against the Kenyattas and Raila’s threats to reposses “stolen” land is meant to deny Uhuru the presidency. But sooner or later, the same campaign will be extended to other wealthy land owners including the Delameres, the Kuki Gallmans, the Mois and the Mazruis.
Raila should not be allowed to get away with this. It is not just Uhuru he is threatening but everybody with land- both foreigners and locals. Under a Cord government, nobody will be safe.
Again, Raila should be advised that whether his claims are true or false, the land associated with the Kenyattas does not belong to Uhuru. Uhuru is only a member of the family. The Prime Minister should take Uhuru’s challenge and show Kenyans that he has evidence of the parcels of land in the name of the Jubilee leader.
Lands Minister James Orengo, an ODM member, can quickly provide this information!
To suggest any form of “punishment “ to Uhuru over land in the name of the Kenyatta family is to equally suggest that Raila’s son, Castro, should be linked to the Molasses Plant Scandal in Kisumu and the controversial parcel of land in Malindi which Raila claims ownership after the eviction of squatters (this matter is in court and remains sub judice).
Raila should stop throwing stones because he lives in a glass house and cannot survive the scrutiny over matters of land.
The Cord presidential candidate is no stranger to examples of mis-informed land appropriation schemes elsewhere in Africa. A few years back, President Robert Mugabe of of Zimbabwe started a disastrous land redistribution programme that resulted in an exodus of foreign investment and aid.
Raila is all too well aware of what has been left of Zimbabwe. Mugabe’s government is on its knees and the economy is in the Intensive Care Unit. The mineral rich country is now the best example of hyper inflation. Zimbabwe's finance minister confessed last week that the government has only Sh18,000 in its accounts!
Those who know the Cord leader well will tell you that Raila’s anti-Uhuru campaign over land is not based on any sense of service to the people but a scheme of theatrics aimed at gaining cheap populism to enable him romp to power.
Once he gets the votes from the people and gets to power, he won't even remember his promises on the land issue.
It is dishonest for Raila to keep harping on the land issue to sway the voters towards Cord. His intentions are suspect and amount to inflammatory speech. Raila is simply looking for sympathy that unfairly persuades voters to take certain political sides antipathetic to Uhuru.
It is encouraging that, rather than engage in a shouting match with the Cord leader, Uhuru remains focused on the real issues that affect Kenyans. He has concentrated his campaigns on what a Jubilee government intends to do to transform the country both socially and economically.
These issues are improved healthcare for all, better, affordable and accessible education, job and wealth creation, youth and women empowerment, security, unity and reform – issues that connect with the voters in a positive manner.
In sharp contrast, Cord leaders seize every opportunity in their campaigns to create suspicions, fear and hatred among Kenyan communities by engaging in hadithi, vitendawili and derogatory metaphors.
Peter Murigi Macharia is a trained journalist and currently the Media Relations Officer for the Jubilee Presidential Campaign.
This is in the hope that voters will be dissuaded from casting their votes in favour of the Jubilee candidate on March 4.
But instead of Raila’s vote-hunting tricks and obsession with the Kenyatta family land issue earning him support , he ends up creating fear and despondency among voters and investors (existing and potential).
The same trick was used during the first multi-party elections in 1992 when one of the then leading presidential candidates created similar fears by threatening to expel from Kenya business people from a certain community.
The said candidate did not realise his dreams to State House.
Kenyans are not fools. They know too well that the current campaign against the Kenyattas and Raila’s threats to reposses “stolen” land is meant to deny Uhuru the presidency. But sooner or later, the same campaign will be extended to other wealthy land owners including the Delameres, the Kuki Gallmans, the Mois and the Mazruis.
Raila should not be allowed to get away with this. It is not just Uhuru he is threatening but everybody with land- both foreigners and locals. Under a Cord government, nobody will be safe.
Again, Raila should be advised that whether his claims are true or false, the land associated with the Kenyattas does not belong to Uhuru. Uhuru is only a member of the family. The Prime Minister should take Uhuru’s challenge and show Kenyans that he has evidence of the parcels of land in the name of the Jubilee leader.
Lands Minister James Orengo, an ODM member, can quickly provide this information!
To suggest any form of “punishment “ to Uhuru over land in the name of the Kenyatta family is to equally suggest that Raila’s son, Castro, should be linked to the Molasses Plant Scandal in Kisumu and the controversial parcel of land in Malindi which Raila claims ownership after the eviction of squatters (this matter is in court and remains sub judice).
Raila should stop throwing stones because he lives in a glass house and cannot survive the scrutiny over matters of land.
The Cord presidential candidate is no stranger to examples of mis-informed land appropriation schemes elsewhere in Africa. A few years back, President Robert Mugabe of of Zimbabwe started a disastrous land redistribution programme that resulted in an exodus of foreign investment and aid.
Raila is all too well aware of what has been left of Zimbabwe. Mugabe’s government is on its knees and the economy is in the Intensive Care Unit. The mineral rich country is now the best example of hyper inflation. Zimbabwe's finance minister confessed last week that the government has only Sh18,000 in its accounts!
Those who know the Cord leader well will tell you that Raila’s anti-Uhuru campaign over land is not based on any sense of service to the people but a scheme of theatrics aimed at gaining cheap populism to enable him romp to power.
Once he gets the votes from the people and gets to power, he won't even remember his promises on the land issue.
It is dishonest for Raila to keep harping on the land issue to sway the voters towards Cord. His intentions are suspect and amount to inflammatory speech. Raila is simply looking for sympathy that unfairly persuades voters to take certain political sides antipathetic to Uhuru.
It is encouraging that, rather than engage in a shouting match with the Cord leader, Uhuru remains focused on the real issues that affect Kenyans. He has concentrated his campaigns on what a Jubilee government intends to do to transform the country both socially and economically.
These issues are improved healthcare for all, better, affordable and accessible education, job and wealth creation, youth and women empowerment, security, unity and reform – issues that connect with the voters in a positive manner.
In sharp contrast, Cord leaders seize every opportunity in their campaigns to create suspicions, fear and hatred among Kenyan communities by engaging in hadithi, vitendawili and derogatory metaphors.
Peter Murigi Macharia is a trained journalist and currently the Media Relations Officer for the Jubilee Presidential Campaign.
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