SEPTEMBER 30, 2019
STATEMENT BY ODM MPs ON KIBRA BY-ELECTIONS:
RUTO LOOKING FOR WAR IN KIBRA:
William Ruto’s race for Kibra seat started with him imposing a candidate on Jubilee Party and on the people of Kibra in the name of MacDonald Mariga.
But Mariga does not vote in Kibra.
Mariga does not live in Kibra.
Mariga has never done anything for Kibra people.
Mariga has never worked with Kibra people whether in politics or general matters of welfare and development.
Kibra people have borne the brunt of political turmoil and struggles from the 1990s to date. Through those years, the people of Kibra have faced the bullet, literally. In the 2007 elections, they were killed en masse. The pattern repeated itself in 2013 and recently in 2017 when Ruto ensured the people of Kibra were gassed and beaten on a scale never seen before in their history of protests.
We know for a fact that it is Ruto’s bitterness with and contempt for Raila Odinga that was responsible for the unleashing of that massive violence on Raila’s supporters who turned up to receive Raila Odinga when he landed at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport from the USA on November 17th, 2017.
Through these struggles. Mariga was never there for Kibra. They received nothing; not water, not a slice of bread, not a bottle of soda, not payment of medical bills and not even a visit of the injured by Mariga. Not even a coffin for burying the dead.
Through those periods, the people of Kibra have done the unthinkable, including uprooting the railway line. Mariga has never been with them in that too. Ruto later came to ridicule the people of Kibra as Watu wa Kung’oa Reli.
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Then, out of the blues, Ruto showed up with Mariga and started demanding that the people of Kibra vote for him. Then he is now dragging Raila Odinga’s name into the contest, talking of teaching Raila a lesson.
The pattern of events, the impunity by Ruto and the insults he is embarking on indicate just one thing: It is not elections Ruto wants in Kibra. Ruto is looking for chaos, violence and war.
That is why he is forcing the people of Kibra to vote for a man who will not vote for himself.
That is why he is forcing on Kibra a man who has never been there for them in good or bad times. It is contempt for Watu wa Kungoa Reli
That is why he is dragging Raila into this contest. Ruto wants to provoke the people of Kibra to respond to his contempt for them and for Raila and his insults so that chaos may erupt because Ruto thrives in chaos and violence.
We warn Ruto that Kibra is different. The voters here are dignified, united and principled. When they are pushed to the wall and insulted as Ruto is doing, they will respond and Ruto may just get the trouble he is looking for. He will then have himself to blame for returning the country to chaos.
Signed by:
Hon Geofrey Osotsi
Hon Gladys Wanga
Hon Antony Oluoch
Hon Jared Okelo
Hon Opiyo Wandayi
Hon Dr James Nyikal
Hon James Koyoo
Hon Caleb Khamisi
Hon John Mbadi
