Nairobi News

By MAURICE KALUOCH

Mama Ida Odinga, wife of opposition leader, Raila Odinga, has told the jubilee government to stop harassing her husband.

Mrs Odinga accused the government of taking Kenya back to the dark days under the Nyayo era when Mr Odinga was detained for six years without trial.

At that time, Mrs Odinga was a teacher at Kenya High School where she would later be discharged.

“Are we back to the dark old days of 1980s and 1990s when I and my family used to be harassed?” she asked.

She recalled the difficult times her family went through in 1982 when Mr Odinga was implicated in the failed coup attempt.

“Those times are behind us and Kenyans cannot accept to be taken back to the dark days,” she added.

EUROBOND SAGA

Mrs Odinga was making reference to the Thursday incident when a team from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) attempted to forcefully serve Mr Odinga with a summon at his Nairobi office over the Eurobond saga.

The anti-graft officials raided Mr Odinga’s Capitol Hill offices in an effort to summon him to their offices on Monday to shade light over his claims that Sh140 billion from the Eurobond had gone missing.

EACC officials cautioned the Cord leader that he risks arrest and prosecution in the event that he fails to appear before the commission.

However, Mr Odinga declared that he would not honour the summon which he said amounts to intimidation and blackmail.

Mrs Odinga also asked wife to Deputy President, Rachel Ruto, to convince her husband and President Uhuru Kenyatta not to reverse the democratic gains in the country.

Mrs Odinga was speaking in Karachuonyo, Homa Bay County on Friday, during the burial of 13-year-old Warren Mugs Asiyo, grandson of former Karachuonyo MP Dr Phoebe Asiyo.

PRAYED FOR KENYA

On her part, Mrs Ruto, who was also present at the funeral, only prayed for Kenya to be united.

The deceased, who is the son of Mr Ceaser Asiyo, an aide of Mr Odinga, died due to what family members explained as complications arising from altitude sickness.

The class eight pupil was in the company of colleagues who had gone to climb Mt Kenya when he developed complications during the expedition and was rushed to hospital in a chopper where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Earlier, ODM national chairman John Mbadi, who also attended the funeral, had dared the jubilee government to arrest Mr Odinga.

Mr Mbadi said the Cord leader was not the only one who has spoken out on corruption in Kenya.

“Even the President admitted that there is corruption in this country and asked the Pope to pray for him,” he said.

The Suba MP reiterated that the government has an obligation to explain to Kenyans the Eurobond issue instead of threatening Mr Odinga with arrest.