ODM-Scandinavia Calls on Ruto and Ongeri to Step Aside

The Scandinavian branch of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM-Scandinavia) has called on Agriculture Minister, Hon William Ruto and Professor Sam Ongeri to step down as recommended by Prime Minister Raila Odinga to allow for further investigations into both the maize and Education funds scandal so that the whole truth can be known.

Speaking to KSB, the Chairlady of ODM-Scandinavia, Mrs. Hellen Opwapo said that the Party branch is fully behind the Prime Minister in his suspension of both Ruto and Ongeri and added that the Party branch does not recognize the reversal of the decision by President Mwai Kibaki.

“Ruto and Ongeri remain suspended for three months and if they are still in office, they are in office illegally”, said the Chairlady. She told KSB that the Prime Minister, Hon Raila Odinga, had acted within his powers by suspending the two Ministers whose Ministries had been implicated in corruption by the PricewaterHouse Report that has been highlighted in the Kenyan media.

“If Ministers cannot be forced to step aside after open corruption scandals facing their Ministries have been unearthed publicly and after they have themselves refused to step down, then the fight against corruption is doomed in Kenya”, she said.

Mrs. Opwapo said that by virtue of being the supervisor of government Ministries, it was within the powers of the Prime Minister, Hon Raila Odinga, to suspend the two Cabinet Ministers whom, she said, should go home and pave the way for investigation instead of wasting time calling hopeless Press conferences in Nairobi trying to defend themselves and making untenable accusations against the Prime Minister.

“By purporting to reverse the decision by the Prime Minister, the President was actually playing with fire because he is telling the Kenyan public that terms negotiated by Dr. Kofi Anan when the Coalition government was set up no longer applies”, she said.

She warned that the country will be plunged into “instant crisis” of sorts in case ODM decides to pull out of the Coalition government. “It is unfortunate that despite events following the rigging of elections by PNU in 2007, the Coalition partner appears not to have learnt any lessons”, she said.

Mrs. Opwapo also warned ODM that it should not go soft on “erratic members of the Party” who were seeking “to rock it from within” and suggested that the Party should utilize its internal machinery to discipline members who were not towing the Party line.

“ODM has a Constitution which states that members who are working against the interests of the Party ought to face disciplinary action. Why is the Party leadership not taking action in the face of shameful public displays by certain members?”, she posed.

“There is nowhere in the world where you can have a leading political Party in government without the mechanism of discipline to restore order internally”, she told KSB. The ODM-Scandinavia boss added that it is unfortunate that some ODM members were engaging in negative public confrontations with the Party leader without action being taken against them. “This is unacceptable and the Party leadership is making a big mistake by not taking action to restore order and discipline within the Party”, she said in Stockholm.

Mrs. Opwapo said that the position of ODM-Scandinavia is that Hon Ruto’s position as Minister of Agriculture is no longer tenable following the eruption of the maize scandal. “In the interest of the Party and the general public, it is urgent that Hon Ruto step aside so that the issues that have been so far raised against his Ministry can be sorted out”, she said.

Ambassador Kiplagat Should Step Aside
Turning to the issue of Ambassador Hosea Kiplagat as Chair of the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission, Mrs. Opwapo said that the position of ODM-Scandinavia is that Ambassador Kiplagat should step aside on grounds that there is credible information that shows that he is unfit to Chair the Truth and Justice Commission.

“Apart from the many accusations that have been labeled against Kiplagat, the view of ODM Scandinavia is that Kiplagat served in the system under investigation and regardless of what he had or had not done, he is incapable of delivering justice in a situation where a government he served for decades is in the dock”, Mrs. Opwapo told KSB.

The ODM-Scandinavia Chairlady dismissed those who were arguing that Kiplagat needs to stay so that victims of human rights violations could get an opportunity to tell their stories.

“All victims of violations by the Kenyatta, Moi and Kibaki governments should still be able to tell their stories with a different Chairperson in the Commission. To suggest that if Kiplagat quits, nobody will tell any story is to assume that Kiplagat is in control of testimonies of victims”, she said. “This position is not correct”, she said.

She warned that former victims of  Human Rights violations of the Moi dictatorship who were supporting Kiplagat should stop suggesting that they were being muzzled because of expressing different views in support of Kiplagat.

“Everybody should express their views about Kiplagat without developing feelings of betrayal. However, from the point of view of ODM-Scandinavia, supporters of Kiplagat who are also victims of violations of past regimes are making a big mistake by using the argument that Kiplagat should stay simply because stories ought to be told. There is no logic in this argument”, Mrs. Opwapo told KSB.

According to the Chairlady, ODM-Scandinavia is against the disbanding of the Kiplagat Commission.

“Our Party branch wishes to make it clear that we do not support the disbanding of the Commission as this would be irresponsible and unnecessary. However, Kiplagat and all those who are deemed too dirty to sit in the Commission should quit so that an acceptable team can take over and carry the process through”, she said. She said that Kiplagat should not force himself to sit in the Commission if the people of Kenya had rejected him because of his association with the former dictatorship of Daniel arap Moi.

“A person who worked with Hitler cannot be allowed to sit in a Committee that is investigating atrocities that may have been committed by Hitler. This is the dilemma facing Kiplagat”, she said.

She said that the Kenya Human Rights Commission and other reputable bodies had detailed Kiplagat’s role in some of the atrocities that are supposed to be investigated (including the assassination of Dr. Robert Ouko and the Wagalla massacre) and wondered why those who were against Kiplagat’s departure were turning a deaf ear to reality.

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