BY VITALIS KIMUTAI
Prime Minister Raila Odinga says his opponents’ main agenda is to block him from ascending to the presidency.
Raila said anti-reform agents had ganged up against him and were keen on curtailing full implementation of the Constitution.
“For the first time in our history, blocking one presidential candidate has become an entire election agenda,” Raila said.
He said the next General Election would be a two-horse race between reformers and anti-reformers.
“The horse of reform will run against the horse of reversal and negation, the horse of hope against that of despair,” Raila said.
Raila added: “This election is our best chance to make a clean break with the past. If we don’t then we must go back to the past.”
Raila was speaking in Nairobi when he launched his presidential campaign website on Wednesday night, which will enable him directly engage with voters on issues affecting the country through social media.
Revisionist agenda
The PM said the dreams of majority of Kenyans for a corruption free and democratic society would prevail. “Our dreams must not die. It should not die, it cannot die and it will not die,” Raila said.
He said that anti-reform agents who wanted to ascend to the presidency were telling Kenyans that it did not matter how the new Constitution was achieved and anybody could be trusted with it.
“Lately, we have heard revisionists telling us that it does not matter how much blood was shed, how many families were broken, how many people disappeared and how many young students went to jail and lost their dreams for university degrees so that this Constitution may be born,” Raila stated.
“They are telling us now that the reforms are here, anybody alive and in politics today is a reformer and can be trusted. I disagree. These are issues I want us to stay engaged on,” he added.
He said a significant majority of the people were keen to secure the democratic and governance gains that have come with the new Constitution – but anti-reforms forces were out to block them from achieving that goal.
“The Constitution is written with the blood, sweat and pain of many of citizens,” Raila said.
The PM revisited the incarceration he and many Kenyans who fought for constitutional change during the Kanu regime were subjected to at the Nyayo House torture chambers. With a crack in his voice, Raila said what went on in the torture chambers was “madness and unbelievable”.
