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

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

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

ODM Mashinani Launches Today! Are You Ready?

Related Post: Orange Party Launches ODM Mashinani Drive Nationwide

Limkokwing University Malaysia Pays Tribute to a "Leader with the Heart of a Lion"

The President of Limkokwing University, Malaysia Tan Sri Dr Lim Kok Wing also presents PM Raila Odinga with Honorary PhD.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga was earlier this morning conferred a Honorary Doctorate of Leadership in Societal Development from the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology, Cyberjaya, Malaysia.

According to the official programme, the university celebrated the conferment of the Honorary Doctorate Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga at their Hall of Fame, Limkokwing University .

Raila was conferred with his doctorate by the University’s Founder and President, Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dato’ Sri Paduka Dr. Lim Kok wing in a grand ceremony to be held at the university's Hall of Fame.

Limkokwing University is an international University with a global presence across 4 continents. With over 25000 students coming from more than 144 countries, studying in its 12 campuses in Botswana, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Lesotho, Malaysia, United Kingdom and United States, the University has established worldwide recognition through its innovative brand of creative education merging the best of east and west education.

The university has awarded honorary doctorates in Humanity, Innovation in Education, Social Transformation and Leadership to a few individuals around the world and some of the esteemend recipients in Africa to date are Dr Festus G. Mogae, former President of the Republic of Botswana - and one of the rare winners of the Mo Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership worth USD5million - and  Former South African President and Nobel Peace Price winner Nelson Mandela.

Orange Party Launches ODM Mashinani Drive Nationwide

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) will this Sunday 18/11/2012 launch the ODM Mashinani initiative simultaneously in all the 47 counties.
The initiative which is a joint venture of both the National Secretariat of the ODM and the Raila Odinga Presidential Campaign Secretariat will be launched at all the County offices of the party with an aim of spreading the party policies and ideologies to the masses.

According to Mr. Eliud Owalo, the head of the Presidential Campaign Secretariat, "the sensitization and liaison with all the relevant stakeholders to this effect is underway" to ensure smooth operation during the event.

Director of Political Affairs at the Presidential Secretariat Mr. Ngunjiri Wambugu is in-charge of the coordination on the side of the Presidential Campaign Secretariat while Ms. Janet Ongera, the ODM Executive Director will do the same from the Party Secretariat.

The ODM Mashinani launch will be driven by the party structures at Branch/County level, but will integrate the efforts and active participation of all ODM MPS, aspirants on ODM ticket for all positions, the ODM Women's league and Youth league structures at county level, and all ODM members and supporters of both the Party and the Presidential Candidate.

Other than the overall objective of ODM Mashinani which is grassroots mobilization of support for Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga, the theme of the launch will be sensitization of the youth to acquire IDS in our strongholds, Voter registration, and party membership/development of a data base.

Ends...
15/11/2012

FORA Re-brands, Condemns Tribal Alliances and Shuttle Diplomacy

FRIENDS OF RAILA (FORA) – PRESS STATEMENT

11 November 2012

After a two day intensive consultation and re-energizing retreat, FORA has come up with a thorough national road map to guarantee Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s victory in the 1st round in the forthcoming general elections. To this end, we are pleased to announce that to completely refocus our energies on the March 2013 General Elections, we have Re-branded ourselves and will now become ‘Friends of Raila (FORA) 2013.

We as frontline friends of the Prime Minister are happy to anchor his resolve to peg his Presidential Campaign on the promise to address key challenges and grievances of each and every of our various communities.

It is a fact that each of Kenya’s 42 tribes, immigrant communities and the various religious, business, professional, sports and cultural groups have unique needs and challenges which remain unaddressed for many years. Some of these challenges are the cause of negative ethnicity, negative politics, ethnic tensions, religious suspicions, underdevelopment and suspicions between our people.

To his credit the Prime Minister and indeed the ODM fraternity have dug deep, done a dichotomy and realized that working out specific remedies for these unique circumstances is the sure way to heal the country while moving it forward at the same time.

As loyal disciples of the Prime Minister, we have thus worked out and intend to roll out a very powerful door to door campaign to market this new plan to Kenyan voters.

This will ensure that Rt. Hon Raila Odinga’s victory will be a true victory for all Kenyans and the beginning of the long awaited true liberation of our people.

FORA also wants to firm up the Prime Minister’s issue oriented and progressive politics by mainstreaming the national agenda in the campaigns. This we know revolves around reforms, implementation of the new constitution, fast tracking economic growth, catalyzing national cohesion plus youth and women empowerment through high quality education and job creation.

This is directly opposed to the PM’s bitter opponents whose only agenda in the campaigns is the International Criminal Court (ICC), Raila bashing and ethnic engineering. Clearly our opponents have no national agenda for the benefit of Kenyans and it appears if they cheat their way to power they will stagnate the country.

We have noted with deep concern and trepidation that our opponents are making concerted efforts to make the ICC process the central theme of the next General Elections to the exclusion of matter that affect the development, welfare and wellbeing of the majority of Kenyans and is setting out to build Election Alliances built around ethnic engineering and ICC brinkmanship.

We have further noted that the TNA leadership is involved in suspicious diplomacy centred around states that have previously been involved or affected by Genocide such as Burundi and Rwanda, not to mention their recent dalliances with the MRC leadership, be it via proxies.

Whereas the TNA is free to undertake whatever form of diplomacy or enter into agreements with whichever groups (legal or illegal) as it so wishes, we are becoming increasingly concerned that Kenya is being dragged into illicit secret relationships with our neighbours based on personal tribulations of individuals and to pursue selfish agendas rather than the wider national interests of all Kenyans.

Since when did visits to our neighbours and trading partners by Cabinet Ministers and a Deputy Premier become focused on their personal cases at the Hague rather than issues such as trade, security, export, regional cooperation and the welfare of the citizens of the two friendly nations.

Kenyans have several pressing and important issues such as poverty, terrorism, floods and hunger that need addressing yet we are transforming our trading partners into Hague Henchmen of a few and Building Political Alliances centered around the ICC rather than developing joint ideologies for development and the welfare of all Kenyan.

We therefore wish to warn our neighbours and trading partners that Kenya is not on trial at the Hague, neither are the communities from where the suspects hail and they should avoid getting dragged into politics of deceit and personal self-preservation.

We also wish to warn against the trend of forming alliances based on personal and tribal interests of the party leaders but rather on the wider KENYAN AGENDA.

Signed by the National Chairman Micah Kigen and Ag. Secretary General Risper Kemunto