A GRAND SCHEME TO TAME RAILA ODINGA EXPOSED

BY DICKENS WASONGA AND SHEM KOSSE

 

A well orchestrated plan has been hatched by a clique of disgruntled politicians keen on frustrating ODM supremo and the country’s second prime minister Raila Odinga ahead of the next general election.

 

The elaborate and well thought out plan includes among other strategies,a scheme to ensure that no major development project started by the government or a private investor kicks off in Raila’s own backyard.

 

The strategy is intended to ensure Raila’s political influence which has now spread throughout the country is curtailed and reduce his chances of clinching the country’s  top seat come 2012.

 

If they succeed,the group plans to use such a backdrop to mount a huge campaign against the Langata MP who is largely believed by many  to have won the last year’s  controversial polls whose outcome plunged the country into total anarchy.

 

”If we succeed ,this will be our yard stick to prove to his supporters and all admirers that he failed to develop his own area and therefore can not be trusted to develop the entire country if elected president.”said a member of the group.

 

The team have been behind the contoversies sorrounding the mega development projects initiated in Nyanza such as the 2billion rice irrigation project in Yala swamp in Siaya,the Sondu Miriu power project in Nyakach,mollases plant in Kisumu and currently they have lit fire at the  3billion upgrading project at the Kisumu airport.

 

Like they did with the Dominion farms in Yala ,the team have now emberked on a hate campaign and incitement of the locals against the airport project which has dragged on for almost two years since it was mooted.

 

A section of the clan now claim they are being pushed out of their land even though plans are at advanced stages to ensure that they are fairlly and fully compansated by the government.

 

The MD K.A.A George Muhoho said Kisumu has a great potential to grow being the economic hub of the region but pointed out that due to bad politics the area continue to lag behind in terms of development.

 

The action oriented Muhoho added he would be happy to see the project succeed and not frustrated like those which stalled due to lack of political good will and community support.

Already the government has identified 800 acres of  land in Muhoroni where those who will be displaced by the project will be ressettled.  The agreement was reached after the community requested that they be given land instead of cash.

 

The dilapidated Usoma primary school which stand on the land earmarked for the project will be upgraded to a mordern status during the project implementation and money has been set aside to ensure that is archieved.

 

These, arccording to the airport manager are just a few of the gains that the project will give to the locals and he asked them to fully support it.

 

The group opposed to the projects are said to have enlisted the support of local NGOs  whose brief is understood to be  to raise funds to finance activities that will slow down the progress and later heap blame on Raila at an opportune time.

 

Key members of the team are those who served in senior government positions during the KANU reign with some having served in the cabinet but are now bitter that they are in political limbo owing to Raila’s political  influence.

 

However,such schemes have met fierce criticism from the region’s proffessionals and opinion leaders who feel these are selfish people who have continued to mislead the community while only serving their egocentric interests. 

 

Those who have a good sense of memory will recall that the now retired president Daniel Arap Moi used the same tricks to deal with the doyen of opposition politics the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.

 

Today, Nyanza is considered, generally as a poor man’s province.All development projects meant for the area that time were either ”killed” or diverted elswhere during those days of siasa mbaya maisha mbaya.

 

A walk in any of the urban areas in the province gives a grim image of a dissolutioned lot.Many youths are jobless and idle. The government on the other hand continue to charn out statistics indicating that poverty levels are on the increase in the region once known to produce the best brains in the world of academia.

 

Nyanza, now only makes headline as the leading province on cases of TB and  global scourge HIV/AIDS prevalence rates nationally thereby aggravating an already worse situation.

 

People of this region  largely depended on sugar and cotton industries.  While cotton closed shop long ago,the sugar sub-sector continue to perfom dismally with cane growers going without pay for several months after cane delivery.

 

Many manufacturing firms which were once vibrant and gave hope to a number of residents especially those who live in Kisumu have since collapsed while locals are not known to be lazy to work

 

These are a people made poorer and pushed to the back waters of society by a rotten system which conspired to starve a section of its citizenry of development and any progress simply because they chose to point out the wrongs committed against them.

 

It is on this background that the people of this region have decided that nobody will be allowed to stand on the way of any development project initiated whether by government or by a private investor.

 

 

The soft spoken airport manager Mr. joseph Okumu say the 22 -month project will create several jobs to the locals either directlly or  indirectly and enhance the economic activities  within Kisumu and its environs.

 

Currently,8 arlines operate at the facility which began operations in 1974.Kenya airways,Jet link express,East African airlines,Fly 540 .com,Executive turbine,Imatong airlines,Lakevic aviation airline which fly Kisumu-Entebbe route are some of the companies operating  at the airport.Aerokenya which have 3 charter flights every Tuesday form part of the chain.

 

A spot check revealed that even before the project begin,already many locals have found work at the facility. Some have been employed parmanenlty while others have been hired as casuals by the operating airlines.

 

The airport alone has a workfoce of 250 and  handles 700 passengers daily  in the words of the manager .However he said  the number of staff is expected to tripple once the airport upgading is completed.

 

Amongst those who are likely to be hired include cargo,forwarding and clearing agents,more air traffic controllers,ground handling staff,additional  taxi operators and even hoteliers.

 

The manager promised that locals both skilled and unskilled will be given first priority during and after the project completion and urged them to back the project as the sure  way of uplifting their living standards.

 

The expansion will see the facility handling  upto 280 passengers per hour and big aircrafts such as B737,B767,Airbus 310 and its equivalent which can fly directly to Europe and Asia can land and take off.

 

Cargo  terminal which will carter for  both fish exports and fresh produce will be built, further boosting the revenue base.

 

Mr Okumu also disclosed that new measures had been introduced such as better maintainace of facilities, like runways,taxi way, acquisition of ICT facilities,apron and better aircraft handling procedures to avoid delays and  improve efficiency.

 

Ken Pundo a prominent Kisumu based  lawyer while throwing his weight behind the project said it will be  of a lot of benefit to the entire East  African region and COMESA states.

 

Pundo said that modalities for compensation was being negotiated adding that it will be pegged on the  ruling market price and advised the local community not to worry because all the issues they  have since raised were bieng fully addressed  by KAA and government.

 

He said the PM too fully supports the project  and the recent stakeholders meeting in Kisumu which endorsed it ,had his blessings.

 

The manager assured those who have land titles for block B and E  which covers phase two of the project that they will be compensated by K.A.A while block A,C and D which is phase one of the project will be handled by the ministry of lands.

 

Block  E will be used as parallel taxi way to the terminal building while block B is for extended runway and approach lighting.

 

These are the kind of projects  that the group would want to see  fail by employing dirty schemes upon realising that Raila’s political support and influence is ever growing.

 

The project is being undertaken by the Chinese Overseas Company(COVEC).

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African Press International – api