Raila Odinga returns amid tension in NASA

Opposition leader Raila Odinga with his wife Ida and daughter, Rosemary, in South Africa where the latter is recuperating. [PHOTO: COURTESY]

Opposition leader Raila Odinga returns to the country after a 10-day foreign trip to growing disquiet in NASA.

Raila, who has been on a tour of the US after South Africa where he went to visit his daughter, will be met with growing disquiet in the Opposition even as Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka stated over the weekend that he is in NASA to stay.

Last evening, Raila posted a photo of him and his daughter, Rosemary, and wife, Ida, on his official Facebook page.

“In South Africa visiting Rosemary. We thank God for her terrific recovery, thanks to your prayers and her determination, Rozzy is well and sends greetings to all her friends and well-wishers,” wrote Raila in his page.

Top on the agenda is to calm down the political temperatures associated with a Memorandum of Understanding with his 2013 running mate, Kalonzo. Kalonzo’s team is insisting that the ODM party leader should support Kalonzo, as was agreed back then.

Kalonzo, a NASA co-principal who is also gunning for the Opposition’s presidential flag, has termed the perceived differences facing the two-month-old coalition as pure propaganda and lies that will be dealt with.

Raila will tomorrow evening address a dinner gathering hosted by ODM of the Africa Liberal Network. The meeting is the 13th Annual General Assembly of the network.

The Africa Liberal Network (ALN) is an alliance of 44 African liberal democratic parties and organisations from 30 countries.

The members include Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Niger, Tanzania, Cote D’Ivore, Senegal, Gambia, Guinea, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Zambia, Mozambique, and Ethiopia among others.

According to Raila’s spokesman, Dennis Onyango, the ODM party leader will be in Mombasa on Thursday where he is scheduled to address the Legislative Forum organised by the Senate and Counties Assemblies Forum (CAF).

“He is set to address a dinner gathering of Africa Liberal Network on Wednesday. He will proceed to Mombasa on Thursday to address the Legislative Forum. He will likely stay in Mombasa for a number of party activities on Friday,” said Mr Onyango.

Onyango further confirmed that Raila will lead NASA leaders to a rally at Tononoka grounds in Mombasa.