East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) Member of Parliament Dr. Oburu Odinga has refuted claims that he illegally acquired public land in Kisumu.
Oburu faulted the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) which has called for the repossession of the said land claiming that he followed due process while acquiring it.
“In 2001, there was an advertisement for this parcel of land amongst others in Kisumu Municipality. I applied just like other Kenyans and paid all the charges as required before being issued with the allotment letter,” he said.
Speaking to the media in Kisumu on Sunday, the MP accused EACC of dragging his name in mud over property that was legally acquired. He claimed that he was being targeted because he is brother to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
“They are targeting me just because I am Raila’s brother so that they are seen to be going for the big fish. I am not a big fish. I’m just a small person,” he said.
Reacting to reports in a cross-section of the media which indicated the land in question as an acre valued at Sh.30 million, Dr. Oburu insisted the land whose valid documents he said he obtained from the government was an eighth of an acre.
His comments come in the wake of revelations that the EACC had started the process of repossessing the land.
EACC CEO Twalib Mbarak recently announced that they will start de-registering the lease allegedly issued to Dr. Oburu in a bid to handover the property worth Sh30 million to the original owner.
Oburu alleged that the move by EACC was political and questioned why other people who were also allotted land the same year were not targeted.
He claimed that he has been willing to give the land to the government since the time he served as an assistant minister for finance.
Oburu insisted that the issue was brought up in a desperate attempt to drag Raila’s name in corruption.
He asked EACC to focus on mega corruption that is threatening to sink the country and stop seeking cheap media publicity by following nonexistent cases.
The matter touching on Oburu’s land dates back to 2010 when EACC filed the case accusing him of acquiring the half-acre in Kisumu owned by Kenya Railways.
By Chris Mahandara
