Anti-CORD Media Conspiracy Revealed

Some of the Prime Minister’s statements on critical issues are being ignored by most of the media. PM had a clear response to President Obama’s message on Kenya (pasted below). The views of Hons Kenyatta, Ruto, Mudavadi, Karua on the US position have been extensively reported, but not what the PM said, even though he, unlike Jubilee, correctly interpreted the Obama message.

Interestingly, both the Nation and Standard websites covered the Raila statement prominently but there was nothing on their TV or radio stations that night or on their newspapers in the morning.

Similarly, there was a very prominent (but completely false) story in the Sunday Nation  indicating that there was a 50-50power sharing agreement between Raila and Kalonzo, but the CORD response calling this a fabrication was tucked away in a “Brief.”

Read the two statements and judge for yourself whether they were worthy of coverage.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga hails President Barack Obama’s statement on upcoming Kenyan elections

I and my colleagues in the CORD Summit took the greatest satisfaction from President Barack Obama’s strong affirmation of continued US support for democracy in Kenya.

Every word the President uttered, and every point he made, spoke to every Kenyans’ heart. All Kenyans want an end to violence and intimidation during this campaign period. We want the coming elections to be free, fair and peaceful so that those who win are seen to reflect the true will of the people. Kenyans want to come together as one nation and vote for leaders of their choice without coercion or blackmail.

Mr. Obama also asked us to “reject a path of violence and division.” If we successfully pursue this path and hold free and fair elections, the President said, Kenyans will continue to have a strong friend and partner in the US.

The President praised us for our extraordinary achievements since 2008, highlighting the most important of them. Every one of those achievements was made possible by the strong international support, led inevitably by the United States, for the reforms Kenyans agreed to undertake in our Kofi Annan-mediated Peace Accord.

These reforms are indispensable to a peaceful and prosperous Kenya. Kenyans know that their full implementation will only be possible under a CORD government.

We in CORD are committed to respecting the will of Kenyans as expressed in a free and fair election. We are also confident that any deviation from this goal will be fully arbitrated by our new Judiciary. We urge our political opponents to commit to respecting the will of Kenyans.

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However, we are noting some worrying steps that are being taken to unfairly influence the outcome of the election. The electoral process can only be free and fair if all institutions with related responsibilities work to ensure this outcome. We have seen recently that a number of radio transmitters of Royal Media were closed down arbitrarily. Officials of other powerful institutions are also trying to limit discussion and debate about crucial issues that lie at the root of widespread discontent among Kenyans in all regions.

6 February 2013

CORD condemns 50-50 power-sharing report as fabrication

The three CORD principals – Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Trade Minister Moses Wetangula – have condemned as “a complete fabrication” a prominent article in a Sunday newspaper which alleges that CORD Presidential candidates Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka have agreed on a “50-50 power-sharing agreement.”

“We have a very clear understanding of how our CORD Coalition will share power. There are three CORD principals and each of them has a full role to play in the new Government, with the help of the other constituent Parties of the Coalition,” the principals said today in Mombasa.

“The broad outline of this power-sharing framework has been deposited with the Registrar of Political Parties, as required by the law. In addition there are other agreements which more clearly spell out the full distribution of roles and responsibilities within the CORD Government. “

“The fabrication is the work of our opponents who are using the media to create divisions within CORD and therefore in the nation. It is the figment of the imagination of the mischief-makers, who realize they do not have a strong national following. Indeed they openly proclaim that the votes of their two standard bearers’ communities are sufficient to propel them to win the 4 March election. They are, therefore, resorting to these underhanded attempts to fracture the national and nationwide movement that only CORD represents and which will ensure its victory. Such tactics will not succeed in dividing us.”

“Kenya’s potential has not been fully tapped by the three previous regimes of the last 50 years. Our country is now primed under the new Constitution and a CORD Government will help fulfil the enormous potential of all its people and the abundant natural resources that are dispersed in every part of our great country.”

10 February 2013

Elections 2013: How the Six ‘Presidential’ Projects Have Come to Pass

Just about over three months ago, it was perfectly predicted by Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo. He opted out of URP when he saw where the train was headed. Hon Ruto even called him on live radio talk show to plead with Jirongo not to wash URP dirty-linen in public.

Jirongo did not mince words. Six political parties have been formed and presidential candidates planted at these parties so as to ensure the success of another mega project by power brokers. The six parties were termed by Jirongo as projects. Jirongo asserted that despite State House denials, three things can not be hidden: The Sun, The Moon and The Truth!! Jirongo further revealed that the weapon of mass destruction currently being deployed in the political scheme is the massive funding of satellite presidential candidates to the tune of billions of shillings.

Among these projects, Jirongo told us, was Raphael Tuju who was financed and propped up as an alternative (sic) presidential candidate but this did not sell much. Next came, Musalia Mudavadi’s dramatic defection from ODM over very flimsy reasons that even he himself is not presently observing in UDF. How short can our memories be?


Eugene Wamalwa, whilst on a tour of Rachuonyo in Homabay County, also affirmed his support for ethnic balkanisation of Kenyans through the G8. He now appears to be firmly rooted in the corner of the same forces he once told us to be wary of. Wamalwa is currently investing heavily in real estate and farmlands around Kitale, Bungoma and the environs.

William Ruto’s much hyped presidential bid has come down as fast as it first went up. The masses in RV are still not convinced about being led back to TNA –w hich incidentally is actually PNU re-named. Is PNU a party of reforms, the much needed reforms that RV peasants have been crying out for 50 years? Not it is not.

Next came Francis Atwoli. The affable trade unionist was roped into the scheme to get Jirongo to back UDF’s Musalia Mudavadi having successfully been lured away from ODM. That has also been read perfectly well by FORD-K’s Wetangula.

To his credit, Jirongo went further to dare any of the so called "projects" to demand that he tables evidence of his claims that they are projects who want to balkanise the country so as to benefit a favoured candidate to assume the presidency and by extension perpetuate  status quo and resistance to reforms. That was three months ago and to date no one has seen it necessary to confront Jirongo nor seek legal redress. Some of them, like Ruto, opted to go personal and question Jirongo’s character rather than answer his allegations.

Presently, we are told that it is a matter of time before URP is swallowed by TNA. Ngilu’s NARC and Wamalwa’s NARC have reportedly already to join up to join TNA and it a matter of time before they put pen to paper. In so far as political party campaign is considered, Eugene Wamalwa’s New-FORD-K is as dead as dodo.

On the basis of what is being reported by media on political alliance building, what further proof does anyone need to confirm that Jirongo’s assertions of the six projects is true? Are Kenyans not being played as Jirongo once warned us? Is this not shaping up to be a two horse race between reformist and anti-reformist? Indeed it is.

Kenyans ……….Cast your ballot wisely. This is Kenya’s Moment!

Statement by Raila Secretariat on TNA’s Sinister Violent Schemes

1. This Secretariat would like to call the attention of peace loving Kenyans to sinister motives by the National Alliance (TNA) party to foment and execute political violence and blame it on our Presidential Candidate’s followers.
2. We especially want to caution Kenyans not to be drawn into TNA instigated violence during a football match between AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia FC in Nairobi, tomorrow Saturday 22 September.
3. In the recent past, the leadership of TNA has bent backwards over to sponsor and plant into the Kenyan national psyche the engineered perception of ODM as a “violent fraternity.” The architects of this ploy are a very senior member of the party, a Member of Parliament representing a Nairobi Constituency and a New Ford Kenya member of UDF.
4. Part of this scheme has manifested in the hiring of performers, who pretended to be harassing one Miguna Miguna on the occasion of “publicizing” his book in various towns in Kenya. A few moments after the so-called “goons” had affected to bully Miguna, they would be seen on TV cameras buoyantly swaggering away with Miguna, celebrating their performance, in the full glare of the Kenya Police.
5. It is instructive that the script was planned to give Miguna a heroic welcome in TNA strongholds, “to show how democratic” and “peace loving” TNA supporters are.
6. In the just concluded by-elections, there were TNA sponsored violent dramas in ODM strongholds. TNA has since been eloquently broadcasting falsehoods about these sponsored dramas of violence, especially in TNA owned media.
7. A ploy in the offing is to disrupt a football match between AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia Football Clubs this weekend. The stage has is fully set for TNA funded violence. This sinister plan seeks not only to cast a section of the ODM supporters as violent, but also to drive a wedge between two language communities from the Lake Basin.
8. We wish to caution peace loving Kenyans and especially those who will turn out to watch the match between AFC Leopards and Gor Mahia in Nairobi tomorrow not to fall for TNA’s violent tricks. We appeal to them to support their teams and to enjoy the match to hilt, knowing very well that someone wants to use this match to achieve wicked political goals.
9. At the same time, we wish to appeal to TNA’s leadership to drop their desperate and dangerous line of violent political mobilization. We wish to remind them that the country has not yet recovered from the aftermath of political violence of 2007 – 2008.

We urge TNA leaders to change to a peace agenda.

Barrack Muluka

Raila Odinga Presidential Campaign Secretariat

A Tribute to Hon. Shikuku: A Rebuke to Political Tourists

Last Saturday we gave a dignified send-off to one of Kenya’s pioneers, the Honourable Martin Joseph Olukhanya Shikuku. The funeral service was political as it was traditional. It was also simple and dignified; in every sense reflecting the man himself. Shikuku’s unwavering defence of the rights of the common man were legendary. 

I have had the pleasure of meeting the late Shikuku in person and I consider it a honour that I can one day tell my grandchildren the story of a man who personified courage and selflessness; a man who was prepared to put his life on the line for national good. 

One would imagine that having given - I dare say undeserving - state funerals to people like George Saitoti, Orwa Ojode, and Kijana Wamalwa, President Kibaki would at the very least order flags to fly at half-mast in honour of a national hero like the Honourable Martin Shikuku, a man whose liberation efforts were are all currently enjoying. Believe it or not, President Kibaki did not even see it worthy to honour one of our independence heroes by leading government delegation to the funeral. Former President Moi whom the late Hon Shikuku variously described as his friend also gave the funeral a wide berth. 

Kibaki instead saw it fit to send a condolence speech that was read by Hon Musalia Mudavadi as his representative at that funeral. These are people who had the time to attend the late Josephine Michuki’s requiem mass and funeral only a few days back, but now had not time for Honourable Shikuku! 

As regrettable as it may be, at Honourable Shikuku’s funeral, tens of thousands of Kenyans attended the funeral to celebrate life and times of a freedom fighter, a true reformer and a national hero. The people’s watchman as he was popularly known. 

Musalia Mudavadi happens to be the man Honourable Shikuku gave a dressing down on his deathbed barely a month ago when the former had his KShs. 200,000/- “gift” rejected by Shikuku who also informed Musalia to his face that “God was unhappy with what he was doing to Kenyan voters”. Musalia Mudavadi was effectively disowned and execrated by the Honourable Shikuku  and whether he represented the Head of State or the Queen of England, Musalia cut a lonely figure from among thousands of mourners.

Shikuku once warned us about people who would not be ashamed to shed crocodile tears at his funeral. We remembered a political father, a man of rare integrity and honesty - a sharp contrast to Mudavadis and Jirongos of Western Kenya, individuals who have on several occasions shamelessly betrayed the voters to go to bed with those who oppressed the masses, perpetuated grand corruption and frustrated comprehensive reforms. 

For anyone who had any doubts on Raila Odinga's popularity among the grassroot masses in Western, the grand scale of the reception that was accorded to the Prime Minister was evident to any observer. Even more importantly, it emerged that it was PM Raila Odinga who for many years spared no effort in getting the late Shikuku’s hospital bills paid and was in fact the highest ranking government dignitary to have visited Shikuku in hospital on numerous occasions. This is not new to us for Raila is known to have extended a helping hand to amongst others, the former firebrand MP for Edoret North, Ms Philomena Chelagat Mutai, yet another of our forgotten liberation heroines. 

It is a national shame and embarrassment that President Kibaki and ex- President Moi did not see it fit to support Shikuku whilst he was in hospital or even when he died.

All in all, thank you and rest in eternal peace Martin Joseph Olukhanya Shikuku.