KENYA’S IMMIGRATION MINISTER COMES OUT IN SUPPORT OF THE EMBATTLED RAILA ODINGA’S AIDE AGAINST ACCUSATIONS OF DUAL CITIZENSHIP.
Writes Leo Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.
KENYA’ Immigration Minister, Gerald Otieno Kajwang’, yesterday came out in full support of the embattled Raila Odinga’s aide, who is facing allegation that he had registered himself twice as a citizen of both Kenya and Canada.
In an interview with NTV forage last night, the Minister said Mr. Miguna is a Kenya citizen by birth.
“I have looked at his personal file and there is no evidence that he has ever renounced his citizenship”, the Minister said.
Mr. Miguna Miguna, Mr Odinga’s adviser on coalition affairs, has of late found himself under tight scrutiny by politicians aligned to PNU wing of the coalition government. They wrote a letter to the Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, and copied it to the Head of Civil Service, Ambassador Francis Muthaura, calling for his immediate sacking, citing his dual citizenship, which makes it illegal for him to engage on any kind of employment in the country without a work permit.
The letter, which has been described as malicious and libelous by Mr. Miguna Miguna, and which was copied to all newsrooms, asked Mr. Odinga to fire his aide, who is a lawyer by training, from the coalition management team, for alleged breach of the constitution.
Defending himself from accusation, Mr. Miguna Miguna said, “I am a Kenyan By birth, I have never renounced my citizenship, which is the only way I could have lost it”.
He went on, “Publishing expired passports is both malicious and misleading. The onus is on those advancing the ridiculous claims to prove them”.
In his response, the Prime Minister Mr.Odinga told newsmen that he had asked the Immigration Minister, Otieno Kajwang’, to issue a statement. This was after he had received the letter of complaint from the PNU regarding the validity of Citizenship of the vocal Mr. Miguna.
On Tuesday this week, Nyanza MPs held a press conference in which they scathingly criticized the abrasive Mr. Miguna Miguna for publishing a hard-hitting article in one of the Kenya’s dailies questioning how the retired President Daniel Arap Moi had acquired property, including the Kaptagich Tea Factory and the surrounding land and tea plantations. The Luo MPs said they were upset that Mr. Miguna Miguna wrote that Mr Moi had only colonial level four standard of education.
A number of MPs from Luo-Nyanza who were reached for their immediate comment appeared to be unanimous that Mr. Odinga’s most trusted aide seemed not to be getting on well with other leaders.
It did not come as surprise to see Hon Fred Outa, the Nyando MP, who hails from the same constituency with Mr. Miguna, as living under fear and panick, that the abrasive lawyer might be planning for his ousting, come 2012.
But the Immigration Minister yesterday exonerated Mr. Moiguna Miguna of any wrongdoing.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com
I wonder why kenyans are still in back civilization….what is wrong if some has two citizenship ….go to everywhere it is allowed…nomads are kenyans….i support raila because he knows being dual citizen, because he lived in east German and he has seen how life in outside world is easy with dual citizenship…kenyans should be civilized or they will remain black and back.
A person who, upon the attainment of the age of twenty-one years, is a citizen of Kenya and also a citizen of some country other than Kenya shall, subject to subsection (7), cease to be a citizen of Kenya upon the specified date unless he has renounced his citizenship of that other country, taken the oath of allegiance and, in the case of a person who was born outside Kenya. made and registered such declaration of his intentions concerning residence as may be prescribed by or under an Act of Parliament.
That is what our constitution says. Is Miguna Miguna a Kenyan citizen?
wacheni kwanza musikilize ushahidi halafu muanze zenu wakenya hatuwezi kufa ovyooviyo
kama niuraia kenya kwanini inchi zingine tuna kubaliwa cheti mbili