Raila declares epic battle for top seat

Prime Minister Raila Odinga has promised an epic battle for the presidential seat next year.

PM Odinga said he is determined to win the presidency and will embark on a vigorous campaign for the same.

“I am there and God willing, I will win the presidency,” PM Odinga said at a rally in Karisa Maitha grounds, Kilifi, on Monday.

Mr Odinga also said he will not engage himself in a public spat with political rivals, whom he said have consistently attacked him on public rallies.

Despite attempts by Coast ODM MPs to engage PM Odinga and have him comment on rebel MPs led by Eldoret North William Ruto, he avoided the issue all together.

Changamwe MP and the Assistant minister for Environment Ramadhan Seif Kajembe had pushed for the agenda to have the rebel legislators expelled from ODM.

“I am asking you as the ODM party leader that it’s time we expel the rebel MPs because they add no value to our party. I want to warn ODM members that these guys will harm us a lot by remaining in the party,” said Mr Kajembe.

Mr Kajembe, Malindi MP Gideon Mung’aro and Msambweni MP Omar Mbwana Zonga also asked PM Odinga to comment on the issue of privatising the Mombasa port.

Mr Odinga responded by stating that stakeholders will be involved in the management of Mombasa port.

“We were to hold a forum over the matter with President Mwai Kibaki last week but we did not. However, we will hold a forum on managing the Mombasa port soon," he said.

He said the government had proposed privatisation because there were numerous complaints from Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo and other States over delayed cargo clearance in the facility.

“Whenever I met President Yoweri Museveni, he complained about the delays. When I met President Kagame, he said citizens were complaining, DRC was complaining and so was everyone. So we thought of privatising the facility to improve services. But we will resolve the issue,” he said.