Thursday 22 November 2012

PM Raila Visits Eastleigh and Condemns Terrorism

Nairobi, November 22, 2012 PMPS
Prime Minister Raila Odinga today strongly condemned the recent terrorist attacks in Eastleigh, Nairobi and in Garissa saying the government will ruthlessly deal with the perpetrators of the violence against innocent people .


He made it clear that the government will not let terrorism to take root in the country adding whether it is the infamous Al Shabab or any other terrorist group will meet the full wrath of the law. “As a government, we will not abdicate our responsibility to provide security to people and their property,” he added.


The PM was speaking in Eastleigh , Nairobi where he went to console those who were affected by the recent terrorism incident in the area in which seven people lost their lives and property worth millions of shillings destroyed.


Mr. Odinga who arrived in the country today after a week long official visit to Malaysia and Korea also lashed out at xenophobic attacks against members of the Somali community after a terrorist hurled a grenade in a matatu plying the KiKomba-Kariobangi route killing the seven people and injuring several others.


He appealed to all Kenyan communities to live peacefully together , saying all Kenyans should enjoy equal rights irrespective of their ethnicity. He said, “Our diversity is should be our source of strength and not weakness.”


The Prime Minister especially called for religious tolerance among people of different faiths saying terrorism transcended religion , race, and tribe adding criminals must be treated as individuals not as members of a tribe by apportioning blame to their tribes.


The Premier at the same time called on eligible Kenyans to register as voters in the ongoing voter registration exercise to be able to participate in the March 4th. general election and elect leaders of their choice.


Mr. Odinga noted that once again Kenyans have an opportunity to change the leadership of this country , which he blamed for the slow pace of development in the last fifty years. “It is only through the power of the ballot that you can effect that change,” he added.


He recounted that Kenya and Korea were at par economically at Kenya’s independence in 1963, but due to poor leadership Kenyans were still wallowing in poverty yet Korea was now a developed country.


He said,“ This poor state of affairs in our country is what I intent to change in the first five years of my Presidency so that we can attain newly industrialized status like Korea.”


Mr. Odinga who is ODM party leader lauded Bishop Margaret Wanjiru who was present for resisting attempts to woo her into joining tribal based parties. He noted that Bishop Wanjiru has stood resolutely in support of ODM despite being enticed to decamp by tribal bigots.


Deputy speaker Farah Maalim , Bishop Wanjiru and Kamukunji MP Yusuf Hassan also condemned terrorism saying Kenyans should not play into terrorists’ hands who want to set Kenyan communities against each other as they have done to Somalia.

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