Politics
Raila urges green lobby to keep off
Prime Minister Raila Odinga. PHOTO/ FILE
Posted Tuesday, January 20 2009 at 18:19
Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Tuesday urged environmental groups to stop interfering with development projects.
Mr Odinga put the environmentalists in the dock as he announced plans for a conference that will rally Kenyans behind Government’s reconciliation and poverty eradication programmes.
Mr Odinga said the “One Kenya, One Dream: The Kenya We Want” conference will be held next month.
Big impediment
The PM said lobby groups were frustrating projects meant to put the country on the road to industrialisation and self-sufficiency.
“Our environmentalists are a big impediment to development. The kind of noises they make are not required at this time when we are seeking to reduce poverty,” he said.
Speaking at a breakfast meeting on Tuesday, Mr Odinga said lobby groups were stalling progress in the Tiomin mining project, Sondu Miriu power project, Tana River land development and the port at Lamu.
“So many projects have been described as environmental disasters by the lobbyists. We support conservation but you cannot conserve an environment in its natural form.
“We must develop first. We must tell the environmentalists to give us a break,” he said.
The PM also urged the media to focus on issues affecting the public and criticised the way in which the maize saga and grain handling facility at Mombasa port were reported.
“Why do we only have trivia, sensational news, somebody fighting (Head of Civil Service Francis) Muthaura when we have more important issues?” he asked.
Kenya Editors Guild chairman Macharia Gaitho said politicians were responsible for what was reported in the media.
“We will continue reporting what they say and will only change when they also realise that they have to focus on serious issues,” he said.
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Another impressive display of Raila's brilliance. Forget about the envt, we need devt. Of course without the envt, devt is moot but again, what do environmentalists know. Didn't a number of UN reports talk about how bad the impacts of glaobal warming and deforestation have been to Kenya? Bravo Raila. Do people still think he was ever any good?
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Here in UK the govt has pressed on with plan for the expansion of the Airport, which brought contention with environmentalist, and likewise terminal 5 in London. The govt considered the greater needs of society. I cant believe we still have non-sense laws preventing export of Aloe Vera when Kenyans in arid areas are starving to death and can earn a living yet the govt is seeking Aid.
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Its so pathetic if these statement comes from our right Hon. PM. Does he know a word - thinks its a vocabularly to him- called sustainability. We cannot wreck our future because of politicians who wants to be praised for puting up structures and projects that compromise the future of our great nation. Why interfere with our ecosystem balance in the name of ' development'.
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