- Rift Valley delegates promise to support the ODM chief citing his past and current policy positions.
- Political players in the Azimio la Umoja meeting urged voters to choose leaders who are free of corruption.
Image: RAILA ODINGA PRESS TEAM
ODM leader Raila Odinga on Friday made a grand entry into Deputy President William Ruto’s Rift Valley backyard to a rousing welcome by residents.
The former Prime Minister was given a reception by huge crowds in Eldoret town where he promised goodies for the region hailed as the country’s breadbasket.
In his address, he took a swipe at Jubilee for failing to deliver its promises of laptops for Class One pupils and better returns for farmers.
The ODM leader said he was best placed to deal with the plight of Kenyans citing his intention for more devolved resources as were spelt in the Building Bridges Institute – which the DP opposed.
He was accompanied by Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Alex Tolgos, his Kakamega counterpart Wycliffe Oparanya, and MPs Junet Mohamed (Suna East), as well as Kanini Kega (Kieni) and Justus Kizito (Shinyalu).
The ODM leader pledged to return the Kenya Cooperative Creameries KCC to farmers, revitalise the dying cotton sector, and allocate more money to Agriculture in the budget.
Raila further promised to end insecurity in the region and also hinted that he would revive the stalled dam projects, which were marred by graft.
He also promised better healthcare for all and education for all children on top of the Sh6,000 monthly stipend for vulnerable households.
Earlier, rift farmers poured their heart out to the former PM, accusing the government of the day of neglecting agriculture yet it is the region’s mainstay.
The delegates from Uasin Gishu, Nandi, Elgeyo Marakwet, and Baringo counties blamed cartels and middlemen said to be operating under the protection of senior state officials for making farming expensive.
The farmers asked the ODM leader, should he form a government in 2022, to specifically deal with problems at the National Cereals and Produce Board.
The farmers lamented that NCPB stores are most times filled to capacity by imported maize leaving them no space to offload their produce.
“We have a very big problem at NCPB. Lorries come from Uganda loaded with maize. We suspect they are owned by these people pretending to defend us,” a delegate said.
Raila promised to deal with the issues, saying he would also reach out to President Uhuru Kenyatta to respond to the urgent ones in the wish-list.
“Rift Valley is the country’s breadbasket. We must deal with issues of maize, tea, coffee, milk, cotton, and so on. Each and every crop has specific problems that need to be addressed,” Raila said.
In a memorandum, farmers sought that the budget for agriculture is raised to 10 per cent of the total expenditure by the government.
The farmers also asked for a Sh10 billion boost for the Agricultural Finance Corporation, as well as a boost for the Agricultural Development Cooperation.
Kipkorir Menjo, on behalf of farmers, also asked Raila to help revitalise the cotton, wheat, and pyrethrum sectors.
“We need a conducive environment to sell our produce. We need subsidies for farmers and better fertiliser prices. Let Parliament ensure agriculture budget is 10 per cent as was agreed in the Maputo Protocol.”
In response, Raila promised to deal with the high cost of farming which has put many out of business in the face of competition posed by supplies from Tanzania and Uganda.
“Whatever makes our maize expensive is what we need to deal with. We will reduce the cost of farming and inputs – that is the cost of seeds, fertiliser, and chemicals used in farming.”
Raila further pledged to remove the “middlemen who are making fertiliser expensive” and issue subsidies to farmers saying a bag of DAP fertiliser should not cost Sh4,000.
“We can bring it down to Sh2,000. We can also make seeds cheap. All over the world farming is subsidised. We must protect our farmers,” the ex-PM said.
The ODM leader also pledged that more industries would be built to help meet the value-addition needs of farmers and boost local consumption.
“We must do it here. We need to address the issue of value addition to the crops we grow here. Farmers have been exporting raw materials. We must develop industries,” Raila said.
The ODM leader further pledged to revive dead industries saying the country cannot continue to be “a cemetery of factories".
“We must breathe life in the factories that have since closed. Most of those in Nairobi are now warehouses with goods from China. The situation is the same in Eldoret, Nakuru, and Mombasa,” Raila said.
The ODM chief, promising to end wastage in the government, asked voters to shun the politics of handouts saying they were avenues to launder proceeds of corruption.
“I know where the wastage is going. They have taken money away from us. It is what they use to run around in the pretext of buying a school bus, supporting women groups, youth, churches and buying cars for bishops.”
Earlier, there was drama after ODM party supporters, among them more than 300 boda boda riders, blocked his convoy.
The group demanded that the ODM leader addresses them before continuing with the roadside rallies.
Another scene was at Silverline joint along the Airport road where United Democratic Movement supporters, a party associated with Ruto, attempted to block the convoy.
This was after Raila asked the crowd whether they wanted wheelbarrows or development.
The crowds answered in chorus “wheelbarrow” as a section of UDM supporters told the former PM to leave their slogan alone.