Raila: President Uhuru Kenyatta is the patron of corruption cartels

Cord leader Raila Odinga addressing a rally at Koyonzo market in Matungu to create awareness on voter registration exercise where he urged them to register in large numbers, January 27, 2017. [Phoo: BENJAMIN SAKWA/Standard]

CORD leader Raila Odinga has said that the presidency is the patron of corruption cartels and the country is on the brink of becoming a failed state.

Raila accused President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto of ruining the economy by incurring huge debts and watching as a few connected individuals loot public funds.

Raila said the country ‘can only expect more’ tenders to be floated to put more money in the hands of ‘tenderpreneurs’ who have been supplying air for the past four years under the patronage of the Presidency.

“We can only expect that the Presidency, which is the patron of the corruption cartels and racketeers in and around the government will smoothen the infrastructure for more corruption,” Raila said at a press briefing at his home in Karen.

He said the latest Transparency International report that has ranked Kenya among the top 20 most corrupt countries globally is a testimony of the road the country is taking, and added that Kenya has joined the super league of corruption players such as Bangladesh, Cameroon, The Gambia, Madagascar and Nicaragua.

“Yet the President has chosen to play blind and mute on a scourge that is clearly spreading its tentacles around the nation and getting more people deeper into poverty and misery while paralysing public services.”

State House spokesman Manoah Esipisu and DP William Ruto’s spokesman David Mugonyi declined to comment on the accusations.

Instead, Mr Mugonyi referred us to Mr Esipisu who told us to wait for National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale’s statement.

Duale convened a press conference at Parliament Buildings after Raila’s briefing and dismissed the claims and the TI report.

“The TI report he is talking about is the work of his ‘boys and girls. They are cheerleaders in writing fictitious reports about Kenya to get donor funding. We shall not be distracted by a few who sell their country for a song,” he said.

The Majority Leader cited government efforts in fighting graft like signing an MoU with the US Government on eradicating the vice, tabling the List of Shame in Parliament, the President’s directive that all companies doing business with county and national governments must sign and adhere to a business code of conduct.

While in Kakamega, Raila laughed off President Kenyatta’s remarks that he will trounce the Opposition’s presidential candidate by four million votes.

The former Prime Minister told the Head of State to brace for a political duel in the August 8 General elections and predicted that the Opposition will beat him by six million votes.

He was speaking during a tour of Kakamega County where he held rallies in Matungu, Lugari, Lurambi and Navakholo to mobilise residents to register as voters.

“Kenyatta is bragging that he will defeat me by four million votes, where will he get the votes?” he posed. Raila said the President has lost support he gained before the 2013 General Election in some parts of the country.

— Additional reports by Ignatius Odanga and John Mondoh