Top Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leaders on Saturday cautioned their Jubilee party counterparts not to drag them into their internal wrangles.
The leaders, among them senate minority leader, James Orengo, ODM director of political affairs Opiyo Wandayi and several members of parliament said that as a party, ODM had no business with Jubilee and can therefore not direct how it should be run.
They were speaking at Bar Ndege chief’s camp in East Ugenya location during campaigns for the Ugenya parliamentary candidate in the forthcoming general elections, Christopher Odhiambo Karan.
The occasion was also addressed by Siaya governor, Cornel Rasanga, nominated senator, Rose Nyamunga and Siaya women representative, Christine Ombaka.
“As ODM, we have no business with Jubilee. Its only that our party leader, Raila Amolo Odinga, in his own wisdom decided to shake hands with president Uhuru Kenyatta for the sake of unity, peace and development of Kenya,” said Wandayi who is also the Ugunja MP adding, “How you run the affairs of your party is none of our business.”
Wandayi called on the Jubilee leadership, especially those allied to deputy president William Ruto to stop dragging the name of former prime minister into their affairs.
Siaya senator, James Orengo challenged the deputy president to join his boss, presidentUhuru Kenyatta in the war against corruption and stop the side shows.
The senate minority leader said no amount of side shows will make Kenyans shift their focus from the massive corrupt deals that are depriving Kenyans of capital projects and urged the president not to spare any one in his purge against the corrupt.
“Kama kuna mtu ana makosa, vile Biblia inasema, kama ni mkono wako umeingiliwa na ugonjwa unaoweza kukuua, uukate,” (if there is anybody who has broken the law, as the Bible says, if your hand has been affected by a disease that threatens your life, cut it off), said Orengo.
He said the president must not spare any one, including his deputy if found culpable.
Orengo reiterated that Ruto must record statement with the CID on how he concluded that the amount under investigations in the Arror and Kimwarer dams saga was Sh 7 billion but not the over Sh 21 billion.
During the rally, the leaders pleaded with the Ugenya electorate to save ODM from the shame of losing the by elections by ensuring that the immediate former MP, Karan, whose election was nullified by the Supreme Court, emerges the winner.
Karan said that he had a good vision for the constituency and had started implementing it when the courts cut him short and pleaded for support from the voters.
By Philip Onyango
