Saturday 24 November 2012

Raila Government's Unbeatable Progressive Development for Kalenjin Land

By Micah Kigen
A closer look at current political developments in Kalenjin land and a dichotomy of all competing factors reveals a mix of desperate attempts to uproot Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s overwhelming support ranged against unyielding resistance by the local community.
 

The main reason is that the Kalenjin grassroots wananchi know very well that the Prime Minister offers the single most, believable road map for tackling the myriad challenges that afflict their community today.

He is focused, steadfast and transparent. They know and are convinced he has developed a development masterpiece for the whole country which includes unique and achievable plans for the region.

Besides, the PM stands out in Kenya as the biggest insurance against the bastardization of the new constitution and the reform agenda.
 

He has promised the people that he will anchor the war against corruption, good governance, implementation of the new government and his devotion to enforcing national cohesion.

These are the qualities needed for leadership that can transform this country to match other modern states in the world. Also his vision is timely for Kenya as a whole.

In PM Raila Odinga’s priority agendas lined up for the benefit of the Kalenjin, he intends to enforce the provisions of the new constitution to tackle all historical injustices affecting the community once and for all.

Top among the injustices include the runaway land question and ample compensation for all Kalenjin civil servants, parastatal workers, soldiers and policemen who were illegally and summarily sacked from their jobs when the Kibaki government came to power. These were honest, professional and hard working people mostly hounded out of their jobs by the new wielders of power; purely on ethnic grounds. Nobody bothered to follow procedure in retiring them and many were pushed out crudely and even denied their benefits, up to this day.

“I was retired unprocedurally without even the formal communication. Only after some time a messenger was sent to my house to bring me an envelope with only Shs.500,000/= enclosed. Surely, there are better ways of treating retiring civil servants.” Dr. Sally Kosgei once told a national daily newspaper.

Another landmark priority on the Prime Minister’s list of Kalenjin needs to be fixed immediately he gets power is to bring radical changes in the agriculture sector in Kalenjin country with a view to improving yields, value addition, investments in the sector in the region and direct incomes.
 

He that locals will vote in strong,committed County leaders who will help him implement these policies at the grassroots for the citizens to realize the real fruits of the transformation.

This is both to fast track job creation, boost agro-based industrialization and to radically step up rural incomes. It is also meant to re-invent Rift Valley (Kalenjinland) as the bread basket of this country, to shore up Kenya’s capacity to sufficiently feed its population and also produce for the export market.

His main focus will be on key products like: Maize, Wheat, Tea, Potatoes, Horticulture, Dairy industry, Hides and Skins and beef products.

Part of the blue print includes giving government subsidies and other incentives to farmers. Farm inputs like fertilizers, pesticides and implements (machinery, etc) will be made more affordable at prices that make economic sense. Also agricultural and veterinary extension services will be revived to international standards.

He also intends to work for the expansion of tourism opportunities and investments which will lead to growth in the hospitality industry in the area. This will be extended to introducing the yet to be exploited Agricultural tourism for foreigners visiting to see for themselves our unique climatic and weather conditions, our major cash crops (eg. Tea and commercialized traditional crops), our soil types and terrain plus our livestock.


The Raila government will also work out with development partners and also encourage private investors to build both big and cottage industries in strategic places to be purchasing and processing various agricultural products and adding value locally before selling to fetch higher prices.

This will greatly reduce wastage, help fetch higher selling prices for farmers, create plenty of jobs for local youths and excite commerce thus empowering local entrepreneurs who are keen on supplying to farms and factories or trading in main and by-products from the farms and factories.

Another top priority area in Mr. Raila’s plan for the community is the empowering of youths to secure their future.

In this, he has great plans to mainstream vocational training by modernizing and equipping all existing technical training institutes in the region, beginning with the overstretched Eldoret Polytechnic, and putting up at least one high level other in each and every constituency.

This is aimed at producing many high caliber middle level professionals, artisans, and technicians from the community to work locally, in other parts of Kenya and even overseas. It will also open a great window to many of our school leavers who are today lacking education advancement opportunities.

Along the same designs of empowering Kalenjin youths, the PM recognizes too well the coveted place our youngsters hold in the world of athletics. He hopes to structure the athletics industry to be of greater benefit to the community while diversifying the sports industry in the region to get our youths excelling in other lucrative sports disciplines too.

Despite the great strides so far made in this area globally, we are still heavily dependent on foreign coaches; trainers, scouts, managers etc.

There is also great under development in terms of tapping all available athletics talent across the region; hence many great athletes are never discovered and end up lost in the far off villages once they fail to access the few athletics scouts available.

Therefore, the PM’s plan is to develop a vibrant and sustainable athletics development program that will produce trainers and other officials and also build well equipped modern athletics academies in every constituency to ensure serious harvesting, sharpening and professionalizing of our young athletes at a young age.

This will make many of our retiring athletes interested in promoting the sport to get engaged gainfully as trainers and officials and add value to our young athletes so that when they venture out to the world stage they bargain for more and avoid being exploited.

One other area Raila-critics should be ashamed of is that he is coming out openly to address the post – 2002 malicious oppression of the people.

Between 2003-2007, the law was that of offloading Kalenjins from public jobs. Following the PM’s entry through the post-PEV peace settlement, he ensured that the sackings stopped and went ahead to ensure the bringing on board of Kalenjins, some in senior positions.

Today through this deliberate effort, the community boasts of a big number of ministers and other senior public officials who would otherwise not have been hired into government. Even those not appointed by the PM merely got accepted as kifumba macho after the enemies of the people got cornered and moved to appoint a few to deny the PM the credit of being considerate of the Kalenjin. They include ministers: Franklin Bett, Dr. Sally Kosgei, Henry Kosgey, Prof. Margaret Kamar, John Munyes and Samuel Phogisio. There are also assistant Ministers Permanent secretaries and others.

To the surprise of most Kalenjin’s the architects of the drive to torment and kick out Kalenjins from plum public sector jobs have regrouped in TNA and yet that is the group URP leader William Ruto has chosen to go to bed with!

THE WRITER IS NATIONAL CHAIRMAN OF THE FRIENDS OF RAILA (FORA) LOBBY

Friday 23 November 2012

ODM Statement on Voter Registration Malpractice

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It has been brought to our attention that some IEBC registration clerks are working in cahoots with some individuals to frustrate ODM party members, supporters or anyone perceived to be sympathetic to ODM party during the current registration exercise



Some of our members and supporters particularly from Western, Nyanza and Coast have been issued with cards with missing serial and electors’ numbers for reasons only known to the clerks.


In Bungoma, there have been cases where individuals have gone to register only to discover that their ID numbers had been used to register other individuals from other constituencies such as Nyeri.


We are also getting reports that some registered voters are being lured into selling their details for petty sums as paltry as Kshs. 200


ODM party feels this is a deliberate move by the IEBC or its agents to rig out the party in the national elections as early as now.


We call on the IEBC to investigate these claims and take action if it is to retain its reputation as an independent, fair and credible body mandated to deliver clean elections for Kenyans.




In Marsabit the following pollng stations have been merged and the faulty machine is being used to register voters at the rate of 50 people per day.

  • FURAHA NURSERY
  • SKM PRIMARY SCHOOL
  • AL HIDAYA PRIMARY SCHOOL
  • MARSABIT FULL PRIMARY SCHOOL

In Laikipia North the same is true about the following polling stations

  • DOL PRIMARY SCHOOL
  • KURI KURI PRIMARY SCHOOL
  • SIOR MOBILE
  • SEEK MOBILE

It has also been noted that some BVR units are operating offline which means records can be led to a local database, be transferred by statisticians to a central subsequently there is a high chance of voters losing out in the process or being rejected during voting due to lost records in the transfer process.


There is need to verify information collected from voters before registration exercise comes to an end or before voting to ensure that those registered are indeed registered.




Hon.Prof. Anyang Nyong’o

SECRETARY GENERAL

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.

FORA Chairman Micah Kigen Denies Defection Talk


Wednesday 21 November 2012

Prime Minister's Appeal on Voter Registration: To the People of Kenya

REPUBLIC OF KENYA 
PRIME MINISTER’S APPEAL ON VOTER REGISTRATION: 
TO THE PEOPLE OF KENYA 

SINCE the bloody uprising that shattered our image as a nation of peace and tranquillity following a disputed election at the end of 2007, Kenya has regained much ground, thanks to our ability to make compromises and look forward.

I believe all of us have made compromises. Your President, Mwai Kibaki did. Your Prime Minister, Raila Odinga did. The supporters of the main parties to the conflict, ODM and PNU, compromised too. Only the compromises have enabled us to move this far.

Only with the understanding of our supporters have we, the Two Principals to the Grand Coalition, been able to take the nation this far. As we set on the path of governing through coalition, we had no precedence to borrow from.

Under the guidance of President Kibaki and myself, we simply set on this path trusting that the people of Kenya, and the luck of history would be on our side. The President and I trusted that we were acting in the best interest of the nation. In many ways, and despite many set backs, luck, history and our people have been on our side.

Two years into the Coalition, we, the people of Kenya, endorsed a new political system, embodied in our globally acclaimed new constitution. In a short span, we recovered our breath, lifted and dusted ourselves and decided to forge ahead as the region’s economic motor and diplomatic nerve-centre.
We have done so much in five years. We have so much to lose should we get reckless again. We have so much to do in the next five years and beyond.
  • Think about the crime and insecurity that continue to keep our people down. 
  • Think of the traffic jams in Nairobi that make us waste valuable time on the road instead of getting to places of work in record time and build our nation. 
  • Think of the close to 60 per cent of Kenyans living in squalid slums. 
  • Think of the millions of our young people looking for working and finding nothing.
  • Think also of our strengths that we could easily make better and leave competitors far behind and move ahead as the nation for the rest of Africa to look up to. 
We have the best banks, hotels and services in the region. We have the biggest road-building projects in the region. Our mobile-phone penetration is the highest in the region. Our money-transfer services have attained worldwide acclaim. Nairobi is the region’s air-traffic hub. It has also become the place in Africa where people come to make global diplomatic decisions. Only Johannesburg and Pretoria beat us.

We have attained much of these because of the decisive step we took in 2002 to go for change peacefully through the ballot. All these gains and more could continue and get better or they could be reversed, depending on how we conduct our next elections.

I believe that we are moving ahead, sadder but wiser, determined never to repeat the mistakes that took us to the precipice and back in 2007-2008 period.

Today, we begin another process that should ensure our future gets brighter and more secure. Today, the Government, led by President Mwai Kibaki launches the voter registration exercise.

From here on, it will be upon each one of us, as citizens, to ensure we register to vote. It is a civic, patriotic duty of a magnitude none of us can take for granted. This registration will take us to a historic election next year. So much is at stake in this election.

 The March 2013 election will determine whether we rebrand, reinvent and renovate our nation or we continue with business as usual. At worst, and God forbid, that election will also determine whether we sink back to the same shame of the 2007-2008 chaos that put us, shamefully, at the mercy of neighbours and friends. Kenya cannot take chances again.

One thing looks certain to me. One more false step, one backsliding 2007 style and all our neighbours will overtake us, and all our friends and supporters will give up on us. The 2013 election must pass off peacefully.

There is no way to ensure that other than by all of us registering to vote and making a vow that only the vote, and not the force of crude weapons, the cruel tongue of politicians and vote manipulation will count.

This is my appeal to my people, the citizens of Kenya. It is my pledge to my beloved country. Fellow Kenyans, let us go out and register to vote. Let us ensure our friends and neighbours do too. We owe it to ourselves and to the country our parents and grand parents bequeathed us.  

Rt. Hon. (Dr.) Raila A. Odinga, EGH, MP 
PRIME MINISTER
REPUBLIC OF KENYA

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Contributing Towards Resource Mobilisation: Appeal to Donate to ODM

As a way of raising funds to boost our campaigns as a political party, and in accordance with the relevant political parties act, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) appeals to all party members, supporters, friends, well wishers and the general public to kindly donate funds to the party to help meet the costs towards the campaign activities for the March 4, 2013 General Election.
 


You may contribute directly through M-Pesa, Airtel Money or VISA Card, please visit our website www.odm.co.ke and click on the DONATE button to make your contribution.

The ODM appreciates contributions of any value made by you towards the course of building a strong campaign that will overwhelmingly win elections and make Kenya a better country for all of us. 

The ODM, in accordance to law, shall publish audited and certified income and expenditure reports as well as the assets and liabilities at the end of every financial year.

Thank you for being part of the winning team.

#YourVoteYourVoice

Monday 19 November 2012

Notice of ODM's National Delegates Convention Published

The long awaited Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) National Delegates Convention (NDC) has been confirmed to take place on 7th December 2012. 

The event which will see over five thousand delegates from all corners of the country converge in Nairobi during which time the delegates are expected nominate the party’s presidential flag bearer and his/her running mate.

After the nomination by the party’s top decision making organ, the Party Leader will give the acceptance speech which will be the climax of the event.

OFFICIAL NOTICE OF THE NATIONAL DELEGATES CONVENTION 
OF THE ORANGE DEMOCRATIC MOVEMENT