Madaraka Day: Raila Odinga Cautions William Ruto against Resurrecting Provincial Administration
- ODM leader Raila Odinga attended the 62nd Madaraka Day Celebrations at Raila Odinga Stadium in Homa Bay county
- In his speech, the former prime minister asked President William Ruto not to revive the provincial administration
- He told the president to ensure lawmakers allocate more funds to the counties as agreed in their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)
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Amos Khaemba, a journalist at TUKO.co.ke, brings over four years of experience covering politics and current affairs in Kenya.
Homa Bay - Former prime minister Raila Odinga has urged President William Ruto to fully support devolution as outlined in the 2010 Constitution.
Source: Facebook
Why did Raila Odinga caution Ruto?
In his address at the 62nd Madaraka Day celebrations, the ODM leader cautioned Ruto against resurrecting the provincial administration system.
According to Raila, the powerful provincial administration is a colonial relic that has no place in modern Kenya.
"They say that people should be united without any discrimination on the basis of gender, tribe, religion and culture. This is what our founding fathers wanted. Your Excellency I want to plead with you, do not resurrect provincial administration. It is a relic of colonialism and has no place in a free and independent Kenya," Raila said.
The former prime minister emphasised the need to strengthen devolution rather than centralise power.
"I invite you, Mr President, to ensure devolution works by giving more resources to the counties so that they can be able to give services to the people. Let county governments receive sufficient resources and be allowed to deliver services to the people," he added.
Raila asked the president to implore Members of Parliament (MPs) to ensure county governments are allocated more funds as outlined in their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Source: Facebook
In his speech, the ODM leader also urged Ruto’s administration to ensure that the affected families receive compensation to promote peace in the country.
He stated that the apologies offered by political leaders during the National Prayer Breakfast, chaired by President Ruto, marked only the beginning of efforts to reconcile with the Kenyan youth and their families.
"It is wonderful as a first step to reconciliation. But then there are people who were injured and others died. I want to say that we should do compensation to families of those who died and those injured so that we can have closure to this chapter of our national history," the former prime minister stated.
Why Raila Odinga criticised Kenya Kwanza government?
Earlier, the leader of the Orange Democratic Movement launched a sharp critique of President Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza Alliance administration.
Speaking in Kericho County on Saturday, April 26, the former prime minister accused the national government of withholding funds meant for counties.
He warned that this situation is hindering development and poses a threat to the survival of devolution.
He also argued that the Affordable Housing Programme should be overseen by county governments instead of the national government.
The veteran opposition leader further urged the MPs to let governors manage the National Government Constituency Development Funds (NG-CDF).
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
