Raila Odinga Encounters Hostility In Front of Ruto as MPs Reject His Demand for Scrapping of CDF
- On Monday, August 18, President William Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga chaired a joint ODM-Kenya Kwanza Parliament Group meeting
- During the meeting, the former prime minister's stand on the National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) angered some of those in the meeting
- A video from the meeting captured the president signalling the lawmakers to stop jeering and allow Raila to finish his speech
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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.
Nairobi - Former prime minister Raila Odinga has encountered hostility from a section of lawmakers during a meeting in Karen.
Source: Getty Images
On Monday, August 18, Raila and President William Ruto chaired a joint Parliamentary Group meeting for the ODM and Kenya Kwanza Alliance lawmakers.
Why does Raila want the NG-CDF scrapped?
During his speech, Raila encountered hostility after he reiterated his calls for the scrapping of the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF).
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The former prime minister insisted that the role of members of the National Assembly should strictly be the formulation of laws and oversight.
According to the ODM leader, MPs should not take part in development projects, as that is the responsibility of county governments.
“Constituency is not an element of devolution. Devolution remains at the county and at the constituency, the county government does implementation of projects, but the national governments are supposed to implement national programmes," Raila said.
What Raila told heckling MPs
However, sentiments by the ODM leader did not resonate well with the lawmakers, as some could be captured murmuring in disapproval.
The lawmakers could be heard jeering the former prime minister, forcing the president to step in and signal to the MPs making noise to stop.
Raila called on the MPs to give him a chance to explain his stand, stating that they would have a chance to air their views.
The veteran opposition leader said that MPs may not agree with him, but that his stand on NG-CDF is the truth.
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The ODM leader insisted that MPs should not be involved in the construction of schools and roads in their constituencies.
"Now listen to me. Let me speak out. I know the truth hurts. MPs should not be involved in development, they are supposed to be oversighting. If you are involved in the construction of schools and roads, who is going to oversight you? Your Excellency, these MPs should have nothing to do with development should be left to counties,” Raila stated.
Why Raila wants counties to run secondary schools
As reported earlier, the former prime minister suggested far-reaching proposals that could interfere with how the national government relates to counties.
During the 2025 Devolution Conference in Homa Bay on August 14, Raila said that the spirit of the 2010 Constitution was rooted in cooperation between national and county governments.
The ODM leader stressed that this cooperation should eliminate, not encourage, overlapping duties that waste time, effort and money.
For instance, Raila said secondary schools should be left to be run by counties and not the national government.
Proofreading by Jackson Otukho, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
