Raila tells Western will give free education

The battle for the control of Western region votes heightened yesterday with ODM leader Raila Odinga urging residents to turn out in large numbers on August 9 and vote for Azimio la Umoja Movement.

Raila said the outfit which brings together ODM, Jubilee, Wiper Party, Kanu and other parties backing his presidential bid, has their interests at heart.

Raila, who started his four-day tour of Western Kenya in Teso North, Busia County, regretted that the country was still struggling with poverty, diseases and illiteracy, many years after independence and vowed to change things if elected president.

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“It is only the Azimio la Umoja government that will turn around things,” he said in Busia.

The former Prime Minister said Azimio government would offer free education from elementary level to tertiary institutions “because education was an equaliser.”

Once again, Raila chided Deputy President William Ruto’s bottom-up economic model saying it is not an idea that could benefit Kenya.

“We will not want you to push wheelbarrows as some presidential aspirant wants you to," he said.

To boost agriculture, Raila said his government would deploy subsidised tractor services at the grassroots for ordinary Kenyans.

"There will equally be a social protection programme whereby the poor households will get Sh6,000 for sustenance every month.

"I will also ensure that there is a health programme dubbed Baba Care to cover medical costs of all citizens," he said.

Raila said Kenya has money to cater for the majority poor only that bureaucrats were stealing from public coffers.

He promised to seal all graft loopholes and channel the funds to social empowerment and industrialisation which would create jobs, empower the people and improve the economy.

The ODM leader received Teso North MP Oku Kaunya who defected to ODM from Amani National Congress.

He described Kaunya as a committed leader with a development-focused mind good for the Teso community.

"He (Kaunya) came home from ANC and I have welcomed him with no conditions," Raila said after laying a foundation stone for the hostels of Kenya Medical Teaching College in Teso North.

Raila also said outgoing Busia governor Sospeter Ojaamong will not vie for Teso South Parliamentary seat.

He said Ojaamong had completed his two terms and would be "accommodated in other positions" in Azimio government.