Raila takes on Uhuru over incitement to violence remarks

Opposition leader, Raila Odinga, has dismissed claims by President Uhuru Kenyatta that he has been inciting Kenyans to violence.

In a statement, Raila said that remarks he made on Thursday, June 15, 2017, were taken out of context saying that he was only discouraging Kajiado residents from selling their ancestral land.

Speaking in Bomet County on Friday, the President criticized Raila for allegedly inciting Kenyans on land matters.

“Raila Odinga is deeply disappointed by President Uhuru’s Kenyatta’s adoption of politics of rumours and scaremongering for survival in the face of stiff challenges arising from the disappointment of the people of Kenya with the Jubilee administration,” said Raila in the statement sent through his aide, Dennis Onyango.

“In the latest incident, the President has, out of the blues, accused Mr. Odinga of asking communities to return to their ancestral lands. Mr. Odinga has made no such utterances.The diversity of Mr. Odinga’s support base alone militate against him making such utterances. The President’s remarks are therefore far-fetched and smacks of desperation.”

He added: “Under pressure, President Kenyatta is creating imaginary scenarios and enemies and proceeding to respond to them. Mr. Odinga finds such gasps of outrage rather hollow and unfortunate particularly coming from the President whose office is supposed to embody unity and certainty in the nation.”

Raila is now calling on the President to desist from ‘scary-sounding pronouncements and instead be a positive and uplifting force by addressing the issues hurting Kenyans’ particularly the high cost of living, the raging famine, rising insecurity and the holding of free and fair elections.