Raila responds to calls for Miguna’s sacking

By Standard Team

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has finally spoken over his embattled adviser on coalition affairs.

Yesterday, the PM told a Press conference Immigration Minister Otieno Kajwang’ would issue a comprehensive statement on the matter.

Raila spoke as pressure for him to sack Miguna Miguna, accused of being a foreigner, mounted.

In a paid up advert in a daily newspaper yesterday, PNU Coalition Movement presented photos of two passports allegedly held by Mr Miguna.

It indicated that Miguna, who is also a member of the Grand Coalition Consensus Committee, had faced three sexual assault charges in Canada in 2003. Court documents identified him as a Canadian citizen.

It was not clear who had sanctioned the advert, as senior officials claimed Moses Kuria, the official who released the advert, was not the party spokesperson.

PNU Secretariat Executive Director Jasper Nyaboga said: "At no point has PNU sat to discuss Miguna’s citizenship. Those are Mr Kuria’s views. Party constitution delegates that role to the secretary general, who is Kiraitu Murungi."

But Kuria said he had consulted Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka and Deputy PM Uhuru Kenyatta.

A photo in the advert indicated Miguna was issued a Canadian passport on January 27, 2003 at North York while the other indicated he was issued a Kenyan passport on March 23, last year in Kisumu.

The law does not allow dual citizenship, and anybody who acquires another state’s citizenship is deemed to have automatically renounced his Kenyan citizenship.

But Miguna denied renouncing his Kenyan citizenship and said the publishing of ‘expired’ purported passports was malicious and misleading.

"The onus to prove the claims lies on those advancing them," he said.

And on Tuesday, ten ODM MPs accused Miguna of overstepping his mandate. They also defended former President Moi against Miguna’s attacks in a section of the Press over Mau Forest.

They accused Miguna of making misleading utterances without consulting the party, which have on several occasions been misconstrued to be the position of ODM. However, Miguna denied their claims.

— Reports by Mutinda Mwanzia, Kipchumba Some and Isaiah Lucheli