Raila Odinga intensifies his presidential campaigns in Narok County

ODM leader Raila Odinga intensified his presidential campaigns in Narok County with a call to the Maasai community to rally behind him in the 2017 General Election.

Raila who kicked off his one-day tour in Kilgoris town, told ODM supporters to adopt the six-piece voting system to ensure the Opposition wins the August 8 polls with a landslide. The Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) leader accused the Government of neglecting members of the Maa community citing lack of development and failure to address land issues in Maasai land.

"The Maasai community has very good reasons to vote against the Jubilee government next year. Jubilee has neglected you and stolen your land through cartels in the government," Raila said.

He claimed the government was planning to hive off a huge chunk of the Mau Forest for allegedly creating a tea plantation to act as a buffer zone between the forest and private land.

" As the opposition we will be on the look out, if they try to grab Mau Forest we will resist it at all cost," he said.

He said if Jubilee had the interest of the community at heart, it should implement the findings of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC).

" The report was released in May 2013 but up to now parliament is yet to deal with it. Jubilee has less than 10 months to vacate office get they have not done anything," he said adding that if he wins the next elections, he will give it priority.

Addressing local Leaders and aspirants for various elective posts at St Joseph Mission Hospital Hall, Raila said the ruling Jubilee Coalition has failed to fulfill the pledges of made to the people and should be voted out.

Raila's tour of the county come two weeks after Mr Odinga's clash with President Uhuru Kenyatta during the burial of former Cabinet minister William ole Ntimama.

He addressed rallies in Kilgoris, Narok West and Emurua Dikirr constituencies.

The former prime minister wa me accompanied by His party chairman John Mbadi, deputy chairman Christine Lemiso, party director of election Junet Mohammed, Homa Bay MP Gladys Wanga, Kitutu Masaba MP Timothy Bosire and the party's Youth League chairman John Ketora.

Also present were MPs Oyugi Magwanga, TJ Kajwang among other leaders from the neighboring counties.

Mbadi declared that the next week ODM will call for a massive street-protest if IEBC commissioners will not have vacated the office.

" This time around we will not call for dialogue, we will be on the streets until the commissioners are home," he said.

Mohammed claimed some Jubilee leaders were behind land grabbing and alleged theft of revenue collected from Maasai Mara game reserves.

"The Narok governor (Tunai) is aware of what is happening to the revenue collected from the game reserve and he must be held accountable," said the Legislator.

Mohammed spoke of a plot by some politicians to grab the Mau Forest claiming they have already prepared title-deeds for about 1,000 acres of land for tea plantation.

"We know some senior government officials have sub-divided the forest among themselves and have acquired deeds. They claim they want to plant tea, as a buffer zone between the forest and private land," he told a huge crowd at Kilgoris open ground .

Bosire told ODM supporters that Jubilee was trying to frustrate IEBC reforms by delaying the exit of the current commissioners.

"We want to warn Jubilee that this time around they will experience the full force of the people, if they fail to ensure IEBC commissioner are out by October 4," he said.

Former Principal Secretary Joseph Tiampati who led a group of aspiring candidates to the meeting, called for fair party primaries saying they were ready to support each other no matter the outcome of the primaries.

Tiampati accused the local leadership of failing to address issues affecting residents saying that the health department in Kilgoris has been completely neglected.

"I have informed of 13 deaths of women while Hibbing births at the local hospital. This cannot be allowed to continue. The county government must address the situation in the hospital," claimed the former PS.

He claimed that president Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto sacked him after the community leaders endorsed him for the Narok gubernatorial seat.

He further claimed that the revenue collected from the Maasai Mara Triangle has not been accounted for.

"There is a lot of revenue leakage in the Mara Triangle and the National Government must investigate and bring the culprits to book," said Tiampati.

He vowed to ensure that ODM controls the local county government after the2017 polls, backing Raila's call for six-piece voting system.

After his tour of Narok County, Raila and his ODM team will be headed to Kisumu today on a two day tour that will culminate with a mega in Kisumu City.