Why Raila misunderstood message from foreign envoys - Kuria

Gatundu South Member of Parliament (MP) Moses Kuria has weighed in on the statement from foreign envoys to the Opposition.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga on Sunday termed the efforts by eleven foreign envoys to broker a political dialogue as a deliberate attempt to introduce neo-colonialism in Kenya.

According to Mr Kuria, the foreign envoys message was a version of asking Raila and National Super Alliance (NASA) leaders to get ready to be taken to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

“I dont think Raila and his NASA sisters understood the statement from foreign envoys. It was a version of asking them to be ready for the ICC. It was a thinly veiled way of telling them they will be treated as war criminals. This time we will welcome the ICC with a 21 gun salute and allocate them a whole floor at KICC for processing documents,” said Kuria on Sunday.

On Sunday, Raila accused the diplomats of hypocrisy and turning a blind eye to the electoral reforms that they advocated for before the October 26, 2017 repeat polls.

“When IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati announced that his commission was not ready to conduct elections as there were division among the commissioners, they (envoys) said they were satisfied of the preparations,” said Raila Odinga.

The diplomats among them Robert Godec (United States), Nic Hailey (United Kingdom), Alison Chartres (Germany) and Sara Hradecky from Canada asked NASA to recognise the election of President Uhuru Kenyatta as a legitimate expression of the people’s will before a dialogue takes place.

They called on the Opposition to accept that as the basis for dialogue that many Kenyans wanted.

“We are concerned not because not because we presume to dictate how Kenyans should regulate their country’s affairs- we don’t,” the envoys statement read in part.

It added, “But as fellow democracies, we know our freedoms and rights were hard won, and how carefully we must cherish, strengthen and protect them if our nations are to thrive and prosper”.

Raila further accused them (envoys) of only being keen in their business interests and not the issues affecting Kenyans.

“They say they want to do business, their aim is to see how they will do business in Kenya before grabbing the proceeds back their homes. They are not concerned with democracy,” said Raila.

He was speaking at a road side rally outside Kijiji Village in Lang’ata after visiting the victims of the Southlands Kijiji fire that claimed five lives and left over 6000 homeless a fortnight ago.