Sunday 15 June 2014

Don't trivialise call for talks, Cord leaders warn

Cord leaders Saturday asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to stop trivialising the calls for a national dialogue.
Led by former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the politicians said they would not bow down to intimidation from the government.
Mr Odinga said the Constitution has given all Kenyans sovereign powers to determine and question how the country is being run, adding that he did not see anything wrong with Cord’s call for talks.
He advised Jubilee administration to welcome the dialogue because “Cord represents 70 per cent of Kenyans which is the majority”.
The former Prime Minister rejected the idea of using government structures for dialogue, arguing that the bodies’ powers are from Kenyans. It is Kenyans, he said, who are to decide the avenues through which they want their problems solved.
“It is Kenyans who have donated power to institutions like the Judiciary, the Executive and the Legislature for the purpose of representation. This time round, Kenyans will have to exercise their sovereign right of determining how they want their country to be run,” said Mr Odinga.
Mr Odinga was speaking at the funeral of the late Zachary Abonyo Oyombe in Siaya County. Mr Oyombe was once an ODM chairman in Rarieda constituency.
Other speakers in the function supported the former PM’s remarks.
Nominated senator Elizabeth Ongoro said the dialogue that Cord is calling for is solely for the benefit of both the Kenyans and the Jubilee administration.
Ms Ongoro also issued an ultimatum to the Jubilee government to convene a meeting for dialogue or face the wrath of Kenyans.
“I want to advise the president to stop trivialising the calls for national dialogue, as Cord members are not desperate to be called for a cup of tea or lunch. But they are doing this for the love of the country,” she said.
The Senator added that the dialogue was meant to address issues affecting Kenya, which include unemployment, insecurity, high inflation rates among other serious issues.
Suna West MP Junet Mohamed advised the President to dismiss his advisors who are against the proposed national dialogue because they do not want to see his government serve the full term of five years.
The MP accused Deputy President William Ruto of being the inhibiting force against the national dialogue, further accusing him of misleading Mr Odinga while they were in the Grand Coalition government.
“The President should be warned since the storm coming is very huge and will wipe out the entire government if the dialogue is not in time,” he said.
Mr Mohamed asked the President and his administration to address tribalism with immediate effect.
He said Kenyans are not pleased with the status quo where government is in the hands of two communities while the rest are not.
Awendo MP Mr Jared Kopiyo said Cord is not interested in sharing power with Jubilee.
“The Jubilee fellows are mistaken when the say that we want ‘nusu mkate’. We want a full loaf as this will be able to deliver Kenyans from the current plight they are facing under this government,” said Mr Kopiyo.
Nominated MP Oburu Oginga said Jubilee is a ‘cursed’ government and that is why they have been faced with so many misfortunes.
He demanded that the government convenes dialogue or else the Kenyans would single-handedly determine the fate of the country on their own.
“The government administrators are being punished by God for ascending to power through dubious means. They should dialogue with us or else the Kenyans will take them down,” said Dr Oburu.
Others who addressed the mourners were Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo, Siaya women Representative Christine Ombaka, Bondo MP Gideon Ochanda, Siaya Governor and Senator Cornel Rasanga and James Orengo respectively.
They later proceeded to another funeral in Bungoma County.

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