Raila gives Jubilee a reluctant ‘pass’ on performance

What you need to know:

  • Mr Odinga also acknowledged the numerous challenges facing Jubilee government, saying having been a coalition partner in the previous government, he knew it was not easy to do much in the first year in office.
  • Asked to comment on the recent drama around the aborted ODM elections, Mr Odinga said some of the so called ‘men in black’ were ODM security agents hired to maintain peace during the elections.

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has given Uhuru Kenyatta’s Jubilee coalition a reluctant ‘pass’ in the way it has handled government business one year since assuming office.

Speaking on Jambo Boston Radio, an online radio station based in Lowell, Massachusetts, Mr Odinga said, in his opinion, the Jubilee government gets 50 per cent mainly for its acknowledgement that times are hard for Kenya.

Asked by radio host Kimani Wanguhu of Kimmedia to say on a scale of one to ten how much he would give the Jubilee government if he were to grade it on performance, Mr Odinga said he would give them a five.

“I’ll give them a five because at least they have acknowledged that the country is going through hard times. To acknowledge the existence of a problem is the first but very important step towards solving it,” he said.

Mr Odinga also acknowledged the numerous challenges facing Jubilee government, saying having been a coalition partner in the previous government, he knew it was not easy to do much in the first year in office.

“Having been in government, I know it is not easy. We will have to give them more time to see what they can do,” he said.

In a candid, interview full of humour and laughter with host Njoki Wa Ndegwa, Captain Njoroge and Kimani Wanguhu, Mr Odinga said the Jubilee government has failed to rein in runaway insecurity and corruption in the country, some of the evils that are contributing to rampant poverty.

The Cord leader said it was not enough to cut salaries.

“We need a comprehensive strategy to deal with the issue of a ballooning wage bill. Cutting salaries alone won’t amount to much without seriously tackling issues like wastage and corruption,” said Odinga. (SEE: Backlash meets Uhuru’s move to take salary cut)

Asked to comment on the recent drama around the aborted ODM elections, Mr Odinga acknowledged that some of the so called ‘men in black’ were ODM security agents hired to maintain peace during the elections.

He, however, added that it was not very certain all of them were ODM guards.

“There is a possibility that some of the people who disrupted the elections were infiltrators from ‘outside’. One of the reasons we established a task force to look into that issue was the need for us to get to the bottom of it all. We are confident that the committee will provide answers to these questions and the party will emerge even stronger,” the ODM party leader explained.

He said the interim leadership established recently that brings together opposing contenders in the elections was committed to strengthening the party.

Mr Odinga dismissed reports indicating that former MP for Narok Mr William Ole Ntimama had defected to Jubilee coalition arguing defection belonged to the Kanu regime.

“Defections ended with Kanu. What is going on in Narok is Mr Ntimama and other local leaders are trying to find a better way of serving the people of Narok.

Mr Odinga is in the US at the invitation of the African Presidential Centre (APC) at the Boston University in Boston, Massachusetts. The centre establishes and coordinates forums for African leaders to engage other political, business, academic and public sector leaders regarding Africa’s relation to the world community of nations.

Mr Odinga and Frederick Sumaye, a former Tanzanian Prime Minister, are scheduled to host a public discussion called Prime Time: A Conversation with Prime Ministers from 6:00 – 8:00pm.

While still in Boston, Mr Odinga will discuss the future of the County Governments in Kenya with Kenyans living abroad in a televised interview. He will be a guest on Nation.co.ke's special features online show, the ‘Diaspora Notebook’ in Boston, Massachusetts during the Boston Marathon weekend.

The event will take place at 65 Village St. Lowell, Massachusetts. He will field questions from the diaspora from around the world in a Q and A session via Skype and Google +.