DON'T PUSH UHURU TO A CORNER, KALENJINS TELL RAILA

The Kalenjin Welfare Society has thrown its weight behind President Uhuru Kenyatta’s declaration that Cord leaders led by their leader Raila Odinga should embrace mature politics and desist from hurling insults at the presidency.

The society’s chairman Simion Ngeny stressed that what the president should be taken seriously by the Cord leaders. “Uhuru is a firm believer in the democratic tradition. Had it been some impatient African leader, Raila and his ilk would have seen the kind of action that could have been taken against them,” stated Ngeny during a media briefing.

He called on the former prime minister to respect the presidency since Uhuru would have also respected the highest institution in the land if it was Raila who was in power.

“Uhuru is a patient and tolerant leader who does not want chaos or bloodshed in the country, and it is for this reason he has restrained himself, despite being pushed to the corner by the Raila brigade,” stated Ngeny. He noted that Uhuru had all the instruments of power but he does not want to react against unwarranted provocation by the Cord leaders.

Ngeny told Raila to wait until 2017 when the next elections will be held, and avoid putting the country into an election mood since Uhuru won with a landslide during the last general elections in a free and fair exercise. The chairman also dismissed calls for a referendum saying it was unnecessary and expensive. Ngeny announced that the Kalenjin Welfare Society would mount a door-to-door campaign to denounce the plebiscite and urged Kenyans to support Uhuru.

“I urge the Kalenjin community to continue supporting Uhuru the way they did in the last elections,” asserted Ngeny. He also called on the community to go out and exhort other communities to support Uhuru and the government. Ngeny was reacting to Uhuru’s condemnation of what the head of state termed as confrontational politics of the opposition led by Raila.

“I want to tell my brother Raila Odinga to respect the presidency. If he was elected the president, I would not be standing by the roadside to insult him. I would actually respect his office and himself. I expect the same from him. I invite the opposition to work with me to move the country forward. This attitude of endless confrontation and hostility is denying our country the needed investments to create jobs,  Uhuru said.