Raila Odinga: gains made so far not an end of struggle for better Kenya but the beginning

By STANDARD DIGITAL REPORTER

Minneapolis, USA: Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has challenged Kenyans to be prepared to make sacrifices for their country and to protect the gains already achieved while they seek for more.

Speaking at the launch of his recently published autobiography at the University of Minnesota in the United States of America Raila called on young Kenyans to build on the gains achieved so far and learn from America’s experiences especially in the field of protection of rights and decentralization of power and resources.

He described the book as part the story of his personal life, part his dream for Kenya and part the country's history.

“I have been a witness to history. In my own small way, I have contributed to the history of our country. I have been a witness as the tide of history turned in our country as a prisoner in torture chambers, as a detainee in some of our country’s worst prisons and as a participant in some of the events that changed our nation as Kenyans pushed forward toward freedom and I can tell you nothing comes easy, and surrender cannot be an option. I have put all that in this book. What you do with that information is up to you,” Raila told his audience of mostly young Africans at the University of Minnesota.

“We have had people who willingly went to jail or died to protest unjust laws. That was the spirit of people like George Anyona and Martin Shikuku. That was the spirit they carried with them like a torch and flame of conscience and courage. We cannot let that flame flicker and die.

“Waiyaki wa Hinga was made to dig his own grave, then he was buried in it, alive. He did not have to die that way. He had the option of giving up and working with the colonialists. But that would have meant we remain captives much longer.

“In the era of the single party dictatorship, I saw people who could easily have bought their freedom by giving up choose to die instead, being thrown from the top floor of Nyayo House to their death downstairs and then it was said they committed suicide. They did not have to die. But these people knew that freedom is not given; it must be won through struggle, persistence and faith in the future. I have documented those struggles in this book, but more importantly I am asking you to carry on with that struggle. That is why I am calling this book the flame of freedom,” Raila said.

Raila also said CORD would resist actions that make it harder for the youth and minorities to vote and attempts to frustrate devolved units.

“When you see me pushing for these things, I hope you will understand where I am coming from. I have seen freedoms taken away and opportunities frustrated and killed and I have learnt that if we sit back, nobody will apologise and say sorry. The powerful just move on while the poor and the weak suffer.”