Kenya:Oppositions 13-Point Agenda For Change Demands Troops in Somali Withdrawn
By Staff Writer
Kenya's opposition leaders from Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) on Monday July 7 called on the Jubilee government to withdraw its troops from Somalia after a spate of bloody attacks by militants at home, but dropped a demand for talks with the government.
Addressing their supporters at a peaceful Saba Saba Day rally at Uhuru Park, Nairobi the opposition launched a movement ‘OKOA KENYA’in Nairobi, whose key plank is a call for a referendum on governance.
National Council of churches of Kenya (NCCK) on Saturday July 5 organized national peace prayers for Saba Saba Day at the same venue to cleanse the grounds in preparation of the planned CORD rally.
The rally that had been feared it would stoke tension among Kenyans in a nation battling an upsurge in political violence proceeded calmly. In the latest assaults on Saturday July 5, gunmen killed at least 29 people at two locations on the coast.
The demand for the referendum was part of a 13-point declaration that also included a demand for the disbanding of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) which Cord said it had no confidence in.
The coalition proposed that the elections agency be replaced by a team appointed by the UN.
Cord leader, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga called for a reduction in the cost of living, failure to which the Opposition would ask its supporters to boycott some products and companies.
He also called for peace and national unity when he led more than 20 MPs and senators, and the other two Cord leaders former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula.
Without giving details, Cord said it would convene an all-inclusive national referendum committee to collect signatures, formulate the referendum questions, prepare voters for the plebiscite and ensure maximum participation.
However, Cord was categorical that IEBC should not conduct the referendum, saying it preferred a team set up by the UN.
Speakers declared that the time for dialogue was over and it was time for action because the Jubilee administration had refused to take the offer for talks.
"Time for talks is over," said veteran politician.
Odinga told the charged crowd that it was clear from the meetings held throughout the country that Kenyans wanted to be liberated from the myriad problems they were facing.
He cited the high cost of living, insecurity and corruption as some of the challenges facing Kenyans and which would have to be dealt with.
He also criticized the government for flooding the venue with thousands of security officers, including NYS recruits, yet the same government had failed provide security in parts of the country such as Lamu and Tana River.
“Today they have flooded this place with police officers. What kind of insecurity is here yet they have failed to provide the same to Kenyans in Mpeketoni and other areas?” he asked.
He also dismissed calls by Jubilee leaders for dialogue to be conducted through parliament, saying a rogue National Assembly was incapable of doing so.
Odinga warned the Jubilee administration that Cord would not be cowed by threats, saying millions of Kenyans were behind them.
“The donkey is fed up of carrying the burden. The time for dialogue is over. Kenyans want all the wrong things going on dealt with. They want peace and to remain as one,” he said.
Wetangula accused the government of abusing the Constitution by not living up to its ideals. He claimed Kenyans from all sectors were crying because the government had not lived up to its promise of “kusema na kutenda” (promising and delivering). It had now turned to “Kusema and Kusahau” (promising and forgetting).
Musyoka called for withdrawal of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) from Somalia. Without elaborating, he accused senior officers of being engaged in the charcoal trade in Somalia.
Sentiments endorsed unanimously by CORD leaders calling on the government to take "immediate steps to withdraw our gallant soldiers from Somalia".
Somali Islamist group Al Qaeda linked Al Shabaab has repeatedly vowed to drive Kenyan and other African Union forces (AMISOM) out of Somalia.
The 13-point declaration read by some of the party leaders demanded that the Jubilee administration addresses the high cost of living through tax reviews and ending corruption and wasteful spending.
They demanded the cancellation of the security cameras contract awarded to Safaricom, which they said should be subjected to competitive bidding.
They also demanded an audit of all government appointments since Jubilee took over — the gender and ethnic backgrounds of the appointees and their percentages in proportion to the public service.
Government officials have dismissed the opposition's demands saying the opposition only wants relevance. They also said Kenya will not withdraw from Somalia.
Officials and police had until recently routinely blamed the Somali group Al Shabaab for strikes on Kenyan soil, including a raid on a Nairobi shopping mall last year that killed 67 people.
But after attacks on the coast last month that killed about 65 people in Mpeketoni near Lamu, the president dismissed Al Shabaab's claim and instead pointed the finger at local political networks.
Gunmen attacked government offices, torched a church and executed men in two small towns in the county on Saturday night.