Politics
Raila skipped elders forum over ‘political trap’
Prime Minister Raila Odinga cancelled a meeting with Meru elders at the eleventh hour “because certain politicians wanted to take advantage of it”.
Imenti Central MP Gitobu Imanyara, who had organised the meeting, on Tuesday came out to defend the visit and accused unnamed PNU operatives of attempting to politicise the forum.
“The PM and I agreed to allow the elders to meet on their own when we realised the political angle was going to overshadow the real purpose of the visit,” he told the Nation by phone.
Initially, Mr Odinga was said to have travelled back to Nairobi to attend to urgent matters, hence the cancellation.
Confusion
But according to Mr Imanyara, certain politicians from the larger Meru wanted to create confusion and the PM realised this early enough to evade the trap.
The meeting, he stressed, was arranged to enhance cultural exchanges among Kenyan communities as part of the nationwide reconciliation following the 2007 post-election violence.
“It is important to reach out to other communities and the only way to do this is to get away from viewing such interactions using ethnic binoculars.”
He, however, said that politics dominated the talks between the Luo council of elders and the Meru’s Njuri Ncheke in Kisumu at the weekend.
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Are the council of elders being used for political purposes only? The society is suffering from all sorts of ill but politix is all they can mitigate. It is amazing how Kalonzo gets criticized when he mounts his campaign. Wazees are a sure let down in our society. PAST SELL BY DATE!!!!!!
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