Jubilee takes on Raila over extortion claims

The Jubilee Party has denied it is behind a US investor’s allegations that opposition leader Raila Odinga and his family are extorting money from the businessman’s firm.

In a press briefing on Sunday, National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale urged Mr Odinga to answer whether he had indeed extorted money from Dominion Farms or was bullying it to fund his campaigns.

“I’m challenging Raila to call a press conference and tell us what his role in this Dominion Farm scandal is,” said Mr Duale.

He urged the offices of the Director of Criminal Investigations and the Director of Public Prosecutions to speedily investigate the allegations.

“We want immediate action to know if the American investor is playing politics or if there is corruption involved,” he said.

The politician further said that Dominion CEO Calvin Burgess is welcome to appear before Parliament and make his submissions so that Mr Odinga can be investigated.

“Mr Burgess must appear before the parliamentary Lands Committee and he will be accorded all the necessary privileges so that he can give evidence in camera,” he said.

Last Wednesday, Mr Burgess claimed that Mr Odinga and other politicians allied to him were frustrating his business through extortion, violence and eviction threats.

REFUSED TO FUND ODM

He said trouble began when he refused to fund Mr Odinga and his ODM party, which he said would have been against US laws. He also said Ruth Odinga, the opposition leader’s sister, had taken rice from the company and failed to pay for it for a period of five years.

Jubilee secretariat head Raphael Tuju, who spoke at a press briefing, also stressed that the party had not influenced the matter and that ODM was only dragging it into the scandal.

“We have no interest whatsoever in the matter except for the fact that over 500 young Kenyan employees and almost 2,000 [seasonal]workers could lose their jobs because of ODM bigwigs,” said Mr Tuju.

He alleged that the actions of Nyanza leaders are fuelling the notion that the region is hostile to investors and as such, it will hurt the area’s economy.

“Besides, any extortion ring in Nyanza feeds into an already bad situation facing this part of the country that is easily profiled as hostile to investors.

"We have a history in Kisumu of investments being destroyed during riots and this Dominion case fits into the narrative,” he said.

He also supported Mr Duale’s sentiment that the CEO should appear before Parliament and even the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) and provide more information.

“Mr Burgess should be accorded the opportunity, protection and immunity to make a statement before a parliamentary committee, [the] EACC and the criminal investigations department,” he said.