At the signing this morning of the largest coalition agreement in our history, Kenyans saw what they had so eagerly been waiting for – the composition of the new government that will usher in the change that our people have yearned, fought and sacrificed so much for over the decades.
Vice president Kalonzo Musyoka, Hon Moses Wetangula, Hon Charity Ngilu and I – with so many other leaders who appeared at the formation of CORD – have today made a pledge of total commitment to fight for a new future for our beloved country.
It has been absolutely heart-warming to see the outpouring of support for the new national democratic front which will unite all Kenyans who want a better future for all our people and not just a few. CORD is now poised to deliver a resounding victory on the 4th of March.
We thought we had achieved the goal of an inclusive government that would finally bring justice, peace and prosperity in 2002, and then again in 2007, only to see our hopes crushed by divisive politics which benefitted a minority. But that dream is now finally within our grasp, and no one can stop us.
The team that assembled at KICC today with little advance notice is just one segment of an evolving and very broad coalition of Kenyans from every class and nook and cranny of this great nation. In the days to come, numerous other leaders, professionals and activists will come out and support this ticket. All of them realize that this election is by far the most important of our history. If the people do not win it, a future of even greater impunity stares us in the face.
Our new alliance is a highly symbolic one. It brings together parties – ODM, ODM Kenya (now Wiper), Ford and NARC – which emerged in the ferment for change and justice. Their coming together is proof that we have learned to overcome barriers that have been used to divide us by those running the corrupt and unjust systems that have held sway for decades in our country.
Today marked the beginning of a wave that will sweep away the power and influence of all entrenched elites.
Kenyans have already lived through a coalition government for the last five years. While it kept the peace and also delivered the new Constitution that is the guarantee of a better future for us all, it did not meet the aspirations of the vast majority of Kenyans who wanted a complete break from the past.
But after the disastrous election and the bloodshed that engulfed us for the first time in our history, we had no choice but to accept a forced marriage to save our country.
The Grand Coalition was a forced marriage – and a marriage without shared values. The two sides had campaigned on completely divergent platforms. One stood proudly for change and the other no less proudly for the status quo. But in this forced marriage, ODM managed to get the minimum it had fought for – the Constitution, Devolution and the entrenchment of Integrity as the essential pre-requisite for leadership.
To safeguard these gains and rapidly transform our country, we have created the only kind of coalition that can work – a coalition of the willing!
We are headed for a massive victory in March. Let no one fool Kenyans that such and such region is committed to the other side. Kenyans are too savvy now to be herded like sheep to alliances that serve nothing but their leaders’ interests. The people know what they want. They will not succumb to bribery or intimidation. A few leaders can be bought but not an entire community or country.
We are now launching a unified, pro-people’s campaign of a kind never before seen in our history. We will fight together for the vote of every single Kenyan in every county, constituency and ward.
Raila Amolo Odinga
About the Author
4 December 2012 Last updated at 19:38 GMT
Kofi Annan urges Kenyans not to vote for indicted politicians
Kofi Annan is in Kenya to support electoral preparation ahead of the March 2013 vote.
Kofi Annan has urged Kenyans not to vote for politicians facing trial at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in next year’s election.
Mr Annan, former UN secretary general and now African Union envoy overseeing the election, said Kenya’s external relations could be damaged.
Candidates Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto are due to stand trial after the vote in March 2013.
Correspondents say the intervention is likely to infuriate them.
Although he did not name Deputy Prime Minister Kenyatta and former minister Ruto, Mr Annan told the BBC that any Kenyan leader must be able to travel to meet other heads of state and be trusted by the international community.
“When you elect a leader who cannot do that, who will not be free or will not be easily received, it is not in the interests of the country and I’m sure the population will understand that,” he said.
Both Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto have been indicted by the ICC over deadly post-election violence in 2007.
Election violence
The BBC’s Gabriel Gatehouse in Nairobi says that many governments have said they simply will not deal directly with politicians who are under indictment at the ICC.
He says Mr Annan’s comments are like to infuriate Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto, but it is not clear how much they will affect voters on polling day.
Although the Ghanaian former UN Secretary-General is a respected figure, many Kenyans still vote along community lines.
Uhuru Kenyatta (L) and William Ruto (R) both reject the ICC’s charges
The two candidates in question – formerly bitter political rivals – have announced that they are forming an alliance for next year’s election.
At a rally in western Kenya on Tuesday morning they said Mr Kenyatta would be the presidential candidate and Mr Ruto his running mate.
They were on opposite sides in the last election in 2007, but the ICC has indicted both men in relation to the violence that followed the poll.
Some 1,200 people were killed and 300,000 forced from their homes in the clashes that followed the disputed election.
Mr Kenyatta and Mr Ruto both deny any involvement in the violence.
At their joint rally on Tuesday in the Rift Valley, Mr Ruto said: “The ICC cases have formed the basis of debates but we are going to prove them wrong [and show] that Kenyans are united and want peace.”
BBC Africa
2008…kalonzo was a sell out…..fast forward to today..he is wearing the same revolutionary hat as tinga and the rest…..idont know who is fooling who…..but like bob marleyi say time will tell who is the real revolutionary
“We are determined to ensure that the person who is nominated is a winner and Raila does not become next president,” Duale added. It does not matter to the clique the direction the country takes as long as RAO misses the boat. These are the leaders we are proud of, leaders who are stuck-up to a pathological extent.
ODINGA: My jobs and wealth plan will benefit all Kenyans
I have always felt for Kenya. That is what has informed my involvement in our country’s trials and triumphs. It is the reason I am seeking to be president this year.
So many things have gone wrong in our country. Yet so many opportunities exist to turn them round. I want to put Kenya on the march again.
The idea of justice being our shield and defender, living in unity, peace and liberty, feeding, clothing and housing every one, have become mirages in the last 50 years. We are one of the most unequal societies in the world.
Today, about three million Kenyans aged between 15 and 29 years are in low quality, vulnerable jobs that pay almost nothing. One million have no jobs at all. Close to two million do not even look for a job. They gave up.
Young Kenyans are dynamic, talented, and full of entrepreneurship. But a vast majority of them are denied a chance to put their most active and productive years to the full service of our country and to fulfill their dreams. I want to make sure that every young Kenyan has a chance to enjoy decent life.
I want to make sure the country creates a million good jobs annually so that we can employ the 800,000 young Kenyans joining the labour market.
I want to make sure that all young Kenyans have adequate nutrition in their early childhood, enjoy good health, and receive quality education. With this, they will build human capital, which will make them attractive to prospective employers.
I will institute cash transfer for all mothers in need of help for the first 1,000 days, on condition that they look after the child well. I want to ensure remedial education for pupils lagging behind.
Let’s recognise that most of the worst performing schools have Kenya’s poorest parents and a majority of Kenya’s children. I will extend help to such schools and raise the quality of learning by ensuring better and more committed teachers implementing a relevant curriculum.
On this, I will call on our youth for I intend to create the “Kenyan Peace Corps”. I will be asking young Kenyans waiting to enter university or looking for jobs after graduating to teach in primary schools throughout the country. This will also encourage social cohesion and create jobs.
Our Constitution demands health, education and access to jobs as basic rights. It also contains far-reaching reforms that will address the political and governance obstacles that hinder our economic growth.
Kenyans can count on me and my team to implement the Constitution. I embrace the Kenya Vision 2030. But we are running behind with it. I am also concerned that it does not mention climate change, the menace that will create havoc to our lives and economy. Kenyans can count on me and my team to produce “Vision 2030 Plus” to make certain that Kenya becomes a middle-income country by 2030.
I strongly believe in empowering every part of our country. Nothing trickled down. The time has come for us to help all regions stand on their own.
On assuming office, I will launch the “One Village One Product” programme which will be predicated on the fact that each village in Kenya has unique products. Through value-addition, we shall have villagers market these products locally and abroad.
This will spread wealth and create jobs all around the country. In the last five years, I have laid the ground for the creation of manufacturing industries. We have ample skilled labour. Kenya is a hub of East Africa, and a gateway to the whole continent.
With iron ore available, there is no reason for Kenya not to embark on manufacturing steel. The key to unleashing our potential is energy which we must make cheaper, cleaner and reliable.
In my discussions with investors locally and abroad, I have single-mindedly focused on expansion of our energy base and development of renewable energy sources of geothermal, solar and wind. The huge involvement of France, Germany, Japan, European Union, United States, Spain, Belgium, China, India, Korea and others in funding geothermal, wind, hydro and coal power development is largely a result of my intense lobbying.
With my personal intervention, we overcame the objection of the World Bank, and got the 300 MW Lake Turkana Wind Power project going. I want to be President to ensure energy sufficiency and industrial take-off in Kenya.
Among all the presidential candidates, I am in the best position to stand shoulder to shoulder with top global leaders, sit with them one on one, and reach agreement on strategic political and economic issues for the benefit of Africans and Kenyans.
Energy will also be critical to powering the industries that we must roll out in the Special Economic Zones slated for Lamu, Mombasa and Kisumu. We will extend similar centres to other regional towns like Kakamega, Garissa, Nyeri, Eldoret and Meru.
My plan to restructure the Youth Empowerment Fund and the Women’s Enterprise Fund is a sure path to success. I plan to equip youth and women with business skills then provide them with start-up grants, followed by loans at favourable rates.
I am a believer in the private sector as the driver of our economy. I have dedicated my tenure in office to regular round table meetings between the private sector and the government so we can listen to each other and agree on the way forward.
As the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA) itself has confirmed, thanks to the round tables, it now takes 33 days to start a business compared with 60 days in 2004.
The cost of starting a business fell from 52 of per-capita income to 38 per cent, and the time needed to export goods reduced from 45 days in 2006 to 26 days currently. I want to build on these gains.
I intend to deepen investment in infrastructure with focus on roads, rail, mobile telephony, energy and ICT. I want to expand investment in food security through irrigated agriculture, subsidies for farmers and research.
I want to expand poverty reduction measures and make our health care work for the poor and the rich alike. I will push vigorously for the establishment of a national health insurance scheme.
A thorough reform of the public service will be inevitable if we are to achieve all these, and I will do it.
Don’t worry where the money will come from. Kenya has money. I will cut wasteful government spending; expand the revenue base by closing loopholes and lowering tax rates. I intend to encourage much more efficient use of donor money. Today, about a third of donor money is currently not utilised.
As President, Kenyans can count on me. I want to provide leadership for our country.
Mr Odinga is the Cord alliance presidential candidate