Raila out to groom younger leaders

By James Omoro

KISUMU,KENYA: Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga says there is need to groom young leaders to spearhead the fight against injustices in the country.

He said he will groom young MPs and senators in the CORD alliance to take over his role in fighting for democratic space in Kenya.

“I may not be in Parliament but the work will not stop. I will groom young leaders to take over that job,” he told mourners during the burial of Mzee Sila Ooro, the father of his personal assistant, Silus Jakakimba.

He said the only way to ensure better political leadership in this country was to groom youths to take up leadership positions.

“Time has come when I have to groom the energetic youthful MPs to ensure a stronger political stability in our ountry. I want to ensure that young MPs also get experience which we have demonstrated in the political arena since we began fighting for democracy in Kenya,” he said.

Rejected attempt

Although he lost to President Uhuru Kenyatta in the March 4 elections, Mr Odinga has maintained he would serve the country outside State House.

Mr Odinga, a darling of the masses in Western Kenya has unsuccessfully vied for the Presidential seat three times; in 1997, 2007 and 2013.

Now aged 68, the son of Kenya’s first Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga will be 73 by the time the country’s holds its next elections in 2017.

The former Premier told young MPs within CORD alliance to embrace the audacity of exercising their duties in Parliament to ensure the Government protects the lives of Kenyans.

He rejected attempts by his ODM party and CORD alliance supporters to have one of the MPs step down for him so that he can return to Parliament His running mate in the last elections, former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka is however keen on returning to the August House and is waiting for one of his party MPs to step down for him.

But Mr Odinga told his supporters to stop mourning because he lost the presidential seat, saying there are young leaders who are capable of serving in such capacities if they were properly groomed.

Very important

“Let me tell you that we have charismatic youthful legislators like Millie Odhiambo who can make men tremble when she speaks in Parliament.

We have other young legislators who will continue with the fight for democratic space we have been shouldering,” he said.

Even though he showed commitment to grooming young MPs to sharpen their skills in the political arena, he never mentioned whether he would retire in active politics or not. Instead, he said he still had a very important role to play in transforming lives of Kenyans even if he was out the Government.

He promised to be involved in promoting projects which would promote development projects in Kenya though he did not mention how.

There has been debate among ODM supporters over who should take the mantle of Luo leadership from Mr Odinga should he opt to retire from politics.

The former Langata MP has been the undisputed leader of the Luo community, a role he inherited from his father, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga who died in 1994.

His speech at the funeral has sparked a debate with many CORD supporters asking whether Raila will contest the presidency again in 2017.

In what might seem an in direct answer to the question the Cord leader said his loss for the presidential seat this year was just a roadblock to achieving his ambitions.

He maintained that a roadblock could not prevent continuity of any journey.