Raila Odinga Appeals to Leaders to Allow Kenyans to Imagine and Hold Mega Dreams of their Country
From Twitter/@Nyamwanda
The June 1 2021 Madaraka Day and the events preceding it fell within the trend started in 2013 of showcasing what each county, in an ideal partnership with the National Government, can contribute in the daunting task of taking Kenya forward.
None of the projects launched or mentioned during the Madaraka period are owned by or meant to serve Kisumu county alone. They are meant to, and will serve the entire Kenya nation. The revamped Nakuru-Kisumu Meter Gauge Railway Line will cater for passengers and goods from diverse parts of the country, the region and the world.
The revamped railway line is not terminating Kisumu. It will extend from from the port city in Kisumu County to Butere in Kakamega County. It is not the only western Kenya revamped rail line either. Another revamped Metre Gauge line will run from Nakuru to Eldoret, both in the Rift Valley. This will be supplemented by a line running from Bungoma to Malaba, cutting across Bungoma and Busia counties.
The rehabilitated Port of Kisumu, which dates back to the colonial era, is not meant for Nyanza or Kisumu County. It is meant to serve Eastern Africa, the Great Lakes Region, the Horn of Africa through River Nile and the international community through linkages with the ports of Bukoba, Jinja, Mwanza, Entebbe, Mombasa and others on the Atlantic Ocean. The main beneficiary of this connectivity via the Port of Kisumu will not be Nyanza or any single county but the Republic of Kenya.
The shipyard will not produce ships for Kisumu. The employees, and the trainees at the Marine School and the other institutions surrounding the Port won’t be for or from Nyanza. The revival and showcasing of these projects are in line with what was witnessed in Kakamega and Kisii counties during recent mashujaa day celebrations. In Kakamega, the country witnessed a partnership between the national and Kakamega county governments to complete an international stadium and a teaching and referral hospital, among other projects. There were no complaints by other leaders when these regions showcased their contribution to the nation. Against this background, Hon. Raila Odinga takes a very dim view of leaders who have attempted to portray Madaraka Day events in Kisumu as some kind of favour to Nyanza and Kisumu County.
Hon. Odinga finds such talk retrogressive, divisive, dishonest and against the spirit of building one prosperous nation out of its many diverse nationalities and regions.
Hon. Odinga appeals to leaders to stand up for Kenya and to encourage their supporters to fully explore and showcase their potential to contribute to the growth of the nation.
Hon. Odinga believes that is the spirit behind the holding of national days on a rotational basis across the counties. The current efforts to demonize the showcasing of such potential will only serve to undermine rather than fire the imagination of the other counties and, eventually, that of the entire nation.
Hon Odinga believes the era of setting up communities against one another is gone and those pushing for a return to that era live in a country that no longer exists.
Hon. Odinga appeals to leaders to enable and allow Kenyans imagine an ideal future and hold big dreams for their country instead of standing in their way.
Dennis Onyango
Communications Director, Raila Odinga Secretariat
JUNE 7, 2021.
