I Bear No Grudge With Kikuyus, Says Raila

Raila Odinga, with the late freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi's widow

Prime Minister Raila Odinga yesterday renewed his commitment to the unity for all Kenyans.He termed as political propaganda talk that he would revenge against the Kikuyu community if he was elected President."What wrong has the Kikuyu community done to me to warrant the much talked about and feared revenge?" he posed.

The PM said as a nationalist and a reformer, he has been fighting for the rights of all Kenyans irrespective of tribe or race.Raila was speaking in Nyandarua county where he made stop-overs at Njabini.Raila said he supported President Kibaki's candidature in 2002.

He urged voters to elect their leaderswisely and not on tribal lines.Speaking at Dedan Kimathi's home in Njambini, Raila said the freedom fighter's remains should be exhumed from the Kamiti Maximum Prison and given a descent burial. He directed the Ministry of Heritage to convert Kimathi's colonial style house at Njambini into a museum.

Raila spoke about the cases facing four Kenyans accused of being the masterminds of the 2007 post election violence saying he never took them to the ICC nor instigated the Hague trials. He however made it clear that like the court found ODM chairman Henry Kosgei not guilty, those facing the trials would be let free if found innocent.

On development, he decried the state of disrepair of Flyover-Njabini road noting that agricultural produce was rotting in the farms because of the poor roads. He directed the minister for roads to take immediate action to repair the road. Those who spoke at the function including Bishop Wanjiru,former MPs Mark Mwithaga and Njenga Mungai and politicians Maina Njenga, Mike Rubia asked the Kikuyu community to vote Raila for President as one way of killing tribalism in the country.

Noting that he was the best candidate for President, they asked the Kikuyu community to show gratitude to him by voting for him for declaring 'Kibaki Tosha ' and to his father Jaramogi Oginga Odinga for declining to take over the leadership of the country when the country was emerging from colonialism that gave way for the Kenyatta presidency.

The star