Publish names of women, youth who have received Govt tenders, Raila Odinga tells Jubilee government

CORD leader Raila Odinga addresses ODM rally at Buchenya market in Butere Sub County on September 5, 2016. (PHOTO: BENJAMIN SAKWA/ STANDARD)

Kakamega: Opposition leader Raila Odinga maintained his focus on Jubilee’s record in power during the second day of his five-day tour of Kakamega County on which he took his rallies to Shinyalu and Ikolomani Constituencies.

Raila challenged the Jubilee government to publish the names of women and youths who have benefited from the government tenders set aside for them indicating the amounts each individual or group has earned.

He expressed reservations on the LPO-based women and youth loans, terming it another government public relations gimmick that has not delivered results because of its stringent requirements.

He took issue with the requirement that youth and women going for the government tenders need to have Motor Vehicle logbook, bank statement for six months, securities and personal guarantee and audited account for the last three years in addition to copies of national ID and PIN certificate.

“I find it very unrealistic of the government to ask those seeking tenders supposedly set aside for them to present log books and three years audited accounts. It just shows the government is out of touch and does not understand the youth,” Raila said.

“The youth and women are finding it difficult to get ID cards, which they need to secure the tenders and yet the government insists on it while also remaining very slow in issuing the document.”

He also cast doubts on the performance of Uwezo Fund and electricity connections.

Raila said Uwezo fund is experiencing high default rates because the recipients were never trained on business. Many youth and women groups who have accessed the fund are facing difficulties in the hostile business environment characterised by corruption and nepotism, hence high default rates.

He described the power connections program as another farce as people are being connected to power lines without power.

“They are connecting more people without producing more power. That is why power outages and blackouts are constant. In most of rural Kenya, you are lucky to receive power two days in a week,” Raila said.