From: Ouko joachim omolo
The News Dispatch with Omolo Beste in images
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2013
Raila Amolo Odinga
For the vast majority of Kenyans, Raila Amolo Odinga is likely to become the 4th president of the Republic of Kenya come March 4th presidential elections. This is because he is the most experienced of all the presidential candidates seeking to succeed President Mwai Kibaki. Opinion polls have all the times put him as the frontrunner to be the 4th president of Kenya.
Many Kenyans see him not only as a reformer who has continuously propagated for democracy and good governance, but also very courageous man who dared Moi when no one could open his mouth. He was instrumental in bringing to an end the KANU government which Kenyans have suffered under for decades.
Kenyans value him, not only because he was the major force behind the election of kibaki and NARC government into power in 2002 when he declared the famous kibaki tosha slogan, but also instrumental in the passing of the new constitution which promises many good things for the ordinary Kenyans.
That is why to the vast majority of Kenyans it is only Raila who can implement the new constitution as he always promised in his campaigns. That could also explain why his party has more national outlook as compared to other political parties.
Among his promises include creating employment for about three million Kenyans aged between 15 and 29 years who are in low quality, vulnerable jobs that pay almost nothing. One million have no jobs at all. Close to two million do not even look for a job.
Raila wants to make sure the country creates a million good jobs annually so that his government can employ the 800,000 young Kenyans joining the labour market-Making sure that all young Kenyans have adequate nutrition in their early childhood, enjoy good health, and receive quality education. With this, they will build human capital, which will make them attractive to prospective employers.
Raila will also institute cash transfer for all mothers in need of help for the first 1,000 days, on condition that they look after the child well. He will also extend help to poor schools and raise the quality of learning by ensuring better and more committed teachers implementing a relevant curriculum.
While he is intending to call on youth for to create the “Kenyan Peace Corps”, he will be asking young Kenyans waiting to enter university or looking for jobs after graduating to teach in primary schools throughout the country. This will also encourage social cohesion and create jobs.
Kenyans also believe that it is only Raila’s government that will attract investors locally and abroad, focused on expansion of our energy base and development of renewable energy sources of geothermal, solar and wind. The huge involvement being France, Germany, Japan, European Union, United States, Spain, Belgium, China, India, Korea and others in funding geothermal, wind, hydro and coal power development is largely a result of my intense lobbying.
He is the only president who is in the best position to stand shoulder to shoulder with top global leaders, sit with them one on one, and reach agreement on strategic political and economic issues for the benefit of Africans and Kenyans.
He ahs also promised that his government will intend to deepen investment in infrastructure with focus on roads, rail, mobile telephony, energy and ICT. He also wants to expand investment in food security through irrigated agriculture, subsidies for farmers and research.
He also wants to expand poverty reduction measures and make our health care work for the poor and the rich alike. I will push vigorously for the establishment of a national health insurance scheme. He will cut wasteful government spending; expand the revenue base by closing loopholes and lowering tax rates, intending to encourage much more efficient use of donor money. Today, about a third of donor money is currently not utilised.
Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta
The fact that Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta enjoys a massive support from his central province backyard and his Kikuyu ethnic group, no doubt for sure that he stands a chance to be neck to neck to Raila, a fact that Raila has acknowledged.
Like Raila, this is not the first time Uhuru is standing. His first short at the presidency was in 2002 when he ran against Mwai Kibaki of national rainbow coalition (NARC). He came second with over 1.5 million votes separating him and the opposition candidate, Mwai Kibaki.
There is also no doubt that because Uhuru has joined with William Ruto, he will enjoy Kalenjin and Kikuyu voting bloc- An Uhuru- Ruto alliance where the former is the president and the later his running mate may see Uhuru win the presidency at the expense of Raila.
While few Kikuyus can vote for other ethnic groups, generally the Kikuyus don’t vote for anyone other than their own. This may also boast Uhuru’s chances of being president. This is a data collected over the years, a trend that has been observed is that whenever elections are held, Kikuyus only vote for their own and not a candidate from another community.
The only obstacle for Uhuru is The Hague factor, and the fact that Martha Karua, Peter Keneth and Paul Muite factor, both of whom are kikuyu and are also in the race to be kenya’s president and this may mean dividing the Kikuyu votes into four parts which means all of them losing ground on the race to be the country’s president.
Some Kalenjins may also decline to vote for Uhuru, not only because the Kalenjins and Kikuyus have never been strange bedfellows, but because Ruto disappointed them by becoming Uhuru’s running mate. All along the Kalenjin communities opted for Ruto to become president.
In the last election when the post election violence broke out they took machetes and pangas against one another while each killed and evicted the other from their backyard and for this reason it is very unlikely for the Kalenjin voters to support Uhuru Kenyatta and same is true for the Kikuyus supporting William Ruto. It is some Kalenjin voters may say; better the devil you know (Raila) than the angel you don’t know (Uhuru).
As former Thika County Council chairman, Francis Wakahia once siad: “Tukuenda ruuri rucoke mukaro na nowe tu ungihota” (we want the river to return to its original course and Uhuru is the only person capable of doing this). (Standards, January 28, 2002), it creates doubts as whether Uhuru will work for the benefit of all Kenyans as stipulated in his Jubilee manifesto.
Martha Karua
While Narc-Kenya presidential hopeful Martha Karua is lauded by Kenyans as courageous, a woman who stands by what she says, like Raila Kenyans believe that she can implement the constitution.
She is the only few among the candidates who can clean the mess by past governments. She has always been on the side of the poor Kenyans, lamenting that the poor had no rights while the rich were favoured everywhere and even got jobs where they did not meet qualifications.
These are the injustices that for sure her government will address. If given chance she will spearhead the fight against discrimination and make sure that all Kenyans have equal chances.
Musalia Mudavadi
Even though Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi has not been popular among Kenyans, the fact that former president Daniel arap Moi declared his support to presidency will make him to loose more votes. Kenyans were already tired with Moi having ruined Kenya for 24 years he was on power. His support may be taken by few Kelenjins, especially his Tugen community.
Kenyans know that Mudavadi is not the “champion of the devolved government system as he claims. He is not even the best person to implement the Constitution. For that reason he will not impact the lives and livelihoods of more than 40 million Kenyans.
Paul Muite
While it could be true that Paul Muite has vigorously and consistently fought in the second liberation of this country which was all about bringing change that is in line with the vision and obligations of our forefathers where the country guarantees each and every citizen security, social and economic justice, food security, and development of the youth, health and education, the fact that in 1992 when he was the Vice of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga as Ford-Kenya he told Kikuyu communities to vote for Keneth Matiba for presidency instead of Jaramogi disqualifies him as a reformer.
This contradicts his vision to catapult Kenya from being a third world country economically and socially into being a 2nd or 1st World Country by removing high-level corruption, return billions of stolen public funds stashed abroad and implement economic and social policies focusing on the majority, this is achievable; it is not a pipe dream.
Muite claims he will be able to bring back looted money since 1963. Although very little has changed including during Kibaki’s presidency, being tribalistitly oriented makes it impossible to fulfill this promise.
Peter Kenneth
I fully agree with Eagle Coalition presidential candidate Peter Kenneth Kenyans should choose leaders in the March 4 elections based on their past record. His argument that his competitors in the presidential race have nothing to show for the years they were in government is genuinely correct.
I also agree with him that some of these presidential aspirants have not shunned tribal and that they are tainted leaders. Record has shown that as MP of Gatanga Kenneth is probably the only presidential hopeful that has used Constituency Development Fund (CDF) transparently to develop hid constituency.
So when he says that his government would improve security, healthcare, education and boost food security if elected Kenyans will agree with him. His government would further develop industries for job creation, improve agriculture and ensure economic growth.
James ole Kiyiapi
For Prof ole Kiyiapi, since Kenyans have not known him in public, his promise that if elected president his government would focus on food security, healthcare, education, employment and security may not be enough reason for Kenyans to vote for him.
Abduba Dida
Like ole Kiyiapi, Alliance for Real Change presidential aspirant Mohammed Abduba Dida is not well known to the public. He became known when he presented his papers to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and was cleared to vie for presidency.
His promise that if elected president his government would uproot toxic leadership that has brought suffering to Kenyans may not convince voters. He also picked little known 29 years old Joshua Odongo as his running mate.
Fr Joachim Omolo Ouko, AJ
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Real change must come from ordinary people who refuse to be taken hostage by the weapons of politicians in the face of inequality, racism and oppression, but march together towards a clear and unambiguous goal.
-Anne Montgomery, RSCJ UN Disarmament Conference, 2002