Fury over Raila Odinga snub at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga at Nyamasaria Primary School in Kisumu, Tuesday. [TITUS MUNALA/STANDARD]

By CYRUS OMBATI

Nairobi, Kenya: MPs in the CORD alliance have demanded a Government statement explaining why former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is now restricted to using an airport lounge reserved for ministers, diplomats and sundry State officials.

The Government yesterday confi rmed the former PM could only use the Government Lounge at the airport, a move that has deeply angered the CORD MPs.

Confi rmation that Raila, who was Kibaki’s coprincipal in the former Grand Coalition Government

can now only access the lounge, also known as VIP Lounge II, has been termed by his aides and MPs in the CORD alliance as humiliating.

KAA officials also claimed the former PM’s motorcade was stopped from driving to the airside due to international airport safety rules, although The Standard could not independently confirm whether or not Raila’s entourage attempted this.

Parliament was told by Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo that airport security officials denied Raila treatment befitting a former Premier and presidential candidate who received more than five million votes just three months ago in the March 4 presidential elections.

Restricted security zone

He requested a Government statement on the matter, which Majority Chief Whip Katoo ole Metito promised to deliver on Thursday.

“Although KAA has released a statement clarifying what happened at the airport, I will issue an official Government statement in Parliament on Thursday,” said Metito.

The incident happened on Monday. Raila told his staff he had always used VIP Lounge III as PM and that he was shocked when the security officials barred him.

KAA said yesterday the former PM has unrestricted access to the VIP Lounge II, but so do an assortment of public servants, diplomats and their families.

The custodian of Kenya’s airports defended its action saying Raila was still allowed access to a VIP lounge, even though it was not the same one he and his family used when he was the PM.

“KAA would like to clarify the former Prime Minister and his wife were not denied access to the VIP lounge at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA),” said KAA statement.

It said contrary to reports appearing in sections of the media, the former PM and his wife Ida were allowed access to and the use of the Government VIP Lounge on Monday and last Friday, respectively.

“However, the authority confirmed that no convoy could drive to the airside, because JKIA is a highly restricted security zone. According to national security regulations, only vehicle convoys belonging to the President of Kenya, visiting Heads of State and the Deputy President of Kenya can access the airside at any of the airports in Kenya,” said KAA in the statement.

KAA also clarified JKIA has three VIP lounges — the State Pavilion for the President and visiting Heads of State, VIP Lounge III for Deputy President and retired Heads of State, and the Government VIP Lounge (VIP Lounge II), reserved for diplomats, lower-ranked Government VIPs and their families.

Sources said it took the intervention of top Government officials at JKIA to allow Raila to access VIP Lounge III on Monday.

He arrived at JKIA at 2pm and was scheduled to fly to Kisumu in the afternoon when the incident occurred.

Aides to the former PM claimed security at VIP Lounge III told him they needed to clarify from the former Head of Public Service Francis Kimemia if Raila could use the facility.

But Kimemia, who ceased being the Head of Public Service on Monday, was reportedly not consulted, because the matter was resolved at JKIA when the officials finally relented.

“After consultations he was allowed to use it (VIP Lounge III),” said an official at the airport.

However, yesterday Kimemia distanced himself from the incident involving Raila and his wife Ida on Monday and Friday last week, respectively. Kimemia said he does not have say over use of the airport facility at all and he “never issued such an order”.

Raila’s chief campaign manager during the March 4 General Election Eliud Owalo blamed the incident on senior Government officials he alleged were out to humiliate the former PM.

Mr Owalo complained that Raila’s wife Ida was subjected to similar treatment on Friday last week.

“Security personnel at JKIA claim they are acting on the basis of a letter written by Mr Kimemia, whose contents they have been instructed to enforce ‘to the letter’ at all airports within the country,” he said in a statement.

But KAA officials said they were unaware of such a letter.

“There are people in this country who have perfected the art of blaming the Secretary to the Cabinet Kimemia wherever things don’t go their way. The Management of our airports does not fall under Mr Kimemia as there is a substantive Managing Director. I can assure you gentlemen that Mr Gichuki (the KAA MD) is doing a fine job running our airports without any prodding from Mr Kimemia,” said Government Sopkesman Muthui Kariuki.

“If dragging Mr Kimemia’s name into this sordid business is meant to whip up Public sympathy then it has failed miserably,” he added.

Since the conclusion of the March 4 presidential election, there has been confusion in sections of Government over protocol with regard to the former PM and former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka.

Many people still address Raila as “Bwana Prime Minister” forcing him to remind them to call him by his name.

Despite losing to Uhuru Kenyatta, Raila still wields plenty of the political influence he enjoyed when he was in Government and as party leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), a position he still holds.

His security team has also reduced drastically as has the size of his motorcade. A vehicle used to clear traffic for his motorcade when he was PM has since been withdrawn.

A few weeks after Uhuru was declared President, the Government withdrew armed guards totalling around 80 from Raila and Kalonzo and reduced the number of State vehicles in their entourage.

This prompted the two to seek a clarification from President Uhuru after which each was accorded at least 12 bodyguards.

Kimemia, then Head of Public Service, issued guidelines on how their armed security detail will operate and the resources they are supposed to have.

At public events, they are still accommodated in the programmes although some of the speakers have difficulties on how to address them.