Raila wants sharing of jobs to be in referendum

The distribution of public posts should be a referendum issue on which Kenyans will vote, Cord leader Raila Odinga said Sunday.

Speaking at Malindi Stadium where he had taken the campaign for a review of the Constitution, Mr Odinga accused government leaders of restricting appointments to public positions to mainly two communities.

He said Cord would include an ethnic quarter employment system in the Okoa Kenya Referendum Bill to ensure equity in public hiring.

The opposition leader expressed alarm at the Jubilee coalition’s employment style, saying, it “seems to be leaning on two ethnic tribes.”

He told the gathering that an ethnic quota system had successfully minimised tribalism in Malaysia and Cord would push to include the formula in the referendum Bill to ensure all Kenyan communities have their equal share of public jobs.

On the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Mr Odinga said that based on its performance in the 2013 General Election, the IEBC should be sent home to pave way for a neutral outfit to handle the next polls.

“Kenyans have no confidence with the current commissioners to handle another General Election and there is dire need for its overhaul,” he said. “That’s why we have included it in the referendum vote.”

Mr Odinga also cautioned the public to be wary of the government’s ‘goodies’ through harambees. He said development could not come from fundraisers because even retired President Daniel arap Moi had failed to deliver the country through harambee.

“The Jubilee administration wants to take us back to the Nyayo era where harambees became the cornerstone of development which never was in 24 years of its rule,” he said.

The Cord leader also said that issues affecting land distribution at the Coast should be left to the National Land Commission. He told the region’s leaders and people not to be hoodwinked by the title deeds that the Government has pledged to give out before the end of the year.

He said the Jubilee government was using the title deeds as bait to win public trust before redistributing all parcels of land whose 99 year leases have expired.

LAND OFFER

“Don’t be hoodwinked into thinking the government is genuine on this land offer,” Mr Odinga said.

Bungoma Senator Moses Wetang’ula, who is also the Senate Minority Leader, said the Okoa Kenya secretariat had started refining the referendum question that would include all the five issues raised during the Bomas of Kenya.

Last Thursday, the group said after meeting in Nairobi that they would push for the introduction of special returning officers to handle presidential election results from the constituency to the national level in the next General Election. They will also push for special returning officers to handle the results for governors and another set for senators.

The meeting also proposed that 45 per cent of revenue collected by the National Government be devolved to the counties with five per cent of the amount set aside for a proposed Ward Equalisation Fund.

The amount is to be computed from the previous year’s revenue received as opposed to the current method where the allocation is drawn from the most recent audited accounts approved by the National Assembly.

On provincial administration, the meeting proposed that chiefs and their assistants be retained but the other positions in the system be scrapped.

Mr Wetang’ula said: “We want you to take the destiny of this country in your hands and not leave it to only two people to run your lives. That is why we are calling for this plebiscite.”

PLAYING POLITICS

The senator questioned where the Jubilee leaders were getting their money to dish out in harambees throughout the country.

“Some people are giving harambees to the tune of Sh10 million per harambee, and we are wondering where are they are getting their money when we know their salaries,” he told the rally.

On tourism, Mr Wetang’ula said the government was playing politics on the issue of security and this was costing the country dearly in terms of foreign income.

“Tourism, which is the backbone of this region’s economy, is dead and what is the government doing to revive it? Nothing!” he said.

To ensure integration and unity, Mr Wetang’ula asked Mr Francis ole Kaparo, the newly appointed chairman of the National Cohesion and Integration Commission to stop wasting public funds in Lamu and instead address his mandate to the government, which the senator accused of failing to practise fairness.

Kilifi Governor Amason Kingi said that the call for Pesa Mashinani by the Council of Governors was neither for Cord nor Jubilee.

The campaign is a parallel push by governors to raise budgetary allocation to counties, he said.

“If we view the referendum in terms of parties or coalitions, it will be wrong. The call for Pesa Mashinani is neither Cord nor Jubilee, but for more money to be disbursed at county levels to boost development,” he said