Raila attends Cabinet retreat, regrets stoppage of Adani deals

President William Ruto and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga during the second day of the third National Executive Retreat at the KCB Leadership Centre in Kajiado County. [PCS]

Opposition leader Raila Odinga was among those present at a top executive meeting exclusively attended by senior government officials at the level of Cabinet and Principal Secretaries, where he delivered a keynote address.

Since his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA), Raila has used most of his time fighting off the ghosts of the government by reminding all and sundry that his party is not in government.

He has been consistent that he only donated experts who are "instrumental in providing guidance and expertise aimed at resolving urgent national crises" and that ODM had not compromised its role as the opposition.

In his address at the Cabinet retreat, which was hailed by President William Ruto as "having apt wisdom, insights, and ideas"  Raila said that that he was disappointed over the cancellation of the Adani-JKIA deal that the President cancelled on November 11 last year after a public outcry, a court order that had halted it and the prosecution of the Adani officials by the US stated otherwise.

In his remarks, Raila termed the cancellation of the deal as unfortunate and blamed bad politics for the move saying if the airport contract is not implemented, Nairobi would become dormant.

“Kenya is very strategically situated where we are. Here we are very fortunate. Kenya can become a hub, a big hub. I was very disappointed when we were not able to move on with the airport contract. That was really very unfortunate. You know we had awarded the Greenfield airport contract before we left the government in 2012. That contract was cancelled. Then it was given again to the same contractor later, but again cancelled somewhere because of disagreements in the middle. And then now when we brought in Adani, they brought all this politics and then the contract was cancelled,” Raila said.

"If that is not done, Nairobi will just become dormant. Look at Addis Ababa, they are going and now putting up a new big airport and it's going to be the hub around," he added.

The Sh637 billion Adani deal would have  seen the Indian conglomerate running both Jomo Kenyatta International Airport and Ketraco for 30 years.

While announcing the decision to order for the cancellation of the planned Adani Group takeover deal, the President Ruto said it was "in view of new evidence by local investigative agencies and information from partner states that link the Indian conglomerate with graft."

At the time, the Adani company was in the eye of a storm following the billionaire owner Gautam Adani’s charges of fraud in the US.

Prosecutors alleged in court that the tycoon and other senior executives bribed Indian officials to win contracts for his renewable energy company expected to yield more than $2 billion in profits over 20 years.

After his remarks at the 3rd National Executive Retreat held at the KCB Leadership Centre in Karen, Raila turned to his social media platforms to report his "pleasure" in joining the President and the entire Cabinet where he said that his remarks were "those of a citizen who has watched from outside as the administration has struggled to deliver on its pledges."

“This review also comes at a trying time for the country, emerging from those demanding better services and more say in government. It is my hope that this policy and performance review could lead to a better understanding and ownership of the government by the people. With lessons from the recent past, I would say that going forward, everything has to be about the people, not the leaders,” Raila said.

The President hailed Raila for his "apt wisdom and insights". 

“We also drew valuable lessons from Hon Odinga's thoughts on the implementation of national infrastructure programmes, including affordable housing, fresh produce markets, and the development and expansion of airports, among others. He also discussed the useful role of technology in national transformation, including Artificial Intelligence, and commended the government's continued digitization of services,” Dr Ruto said.

The news of Raila’s attendance of the Cabinet retreat elicited mixed reactions with a section of Kenyans claiming he had betrayed Kenyans.

"Raila once stood as the loudest voice against the government, now he sits beside it. From resistance to retreat, from streets to state retreats, the change is not in ideals, but in position. In Kenya, opposition is not a calling, it's often a waiting room for power. The people must learn to separate true conviction from strategic convenience,” Daniel Musau wrote.

Speaking at the forum, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki warned government officials who are stalling the implementation of key development programmes that such delays will reflect negatively on their performance contracts.

Prof Kindiki said the government was determined to ensure effective execution of its priority initiatives, particularly under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).

“Mid-term performance, focusing on how implementation of the bottom up transformation agenda, has stabilised the economy, enabling it to overcome structural challenges," Kindiki noted.

The Deputy President praised improved engagement between government departments, stakeholders, and the public, noting this had streamlined coordination and reduced programmatic overlaps.

“Most of the resolutions of the retreat have been implemented but there are others that are off track and have not been implemented,” Kindiki remarked.

He highlighted the Affordable Housing Programme as one of the transformative initiatives yielding tangible results.

According to Kindiki, the project has not only provided decent housing for thousands of Kenyans but also created employment opportunities for the youth and stimulated growth in the construction value chain.