The veteran politician made the vow in Mombasa on Saturday, June 4, 2021, giving the clearest indicator yet he will contest for the country’s presidency for the fifth time in 22 years.
Odinga also claimed during his to the Coast that senior politicians in the country have been stealing billions of shillings that they then donate to churches, women/youth groups in exchange for political mileage.
He did not substantiate, neither did he mention anyone by name. But President Kenyatta has in the past also publicly conceded that some politicians steal up to Sh2 billion a day.
“They are hyenas,” claimed Odinga.
“You see them come here in sheep’s clothing and claim they will fundraise for women and youth groups. That is stolen money.”
Odinga, a former public works minister, also claimed the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) project was inflated by almost 120 billion shillings.
The project was built during President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto’s tenure. It involves a modern railway that transports goods and services between Mombasa and Nairobi, with a view of linking the coastal town of Mombasa to Kampala, Kigali, Bujumbura, and Goma, in DR Congo.
Odinga first contested for the presidency in 1997, coming a distant third behind then President Daniel Moi and Mwai Kibaki. He garnered 667,886 votes, about 1.9 million votes shy of the overall winner.
After playing an integral role in Kibaki’s 2002 victory, Odinga vied again in 2007 in what perhaps remains the most contested election in Kenya’s history which led to an outbreak of violence with more than 1000 people dead and about 100,000 families displaced. He finished second, as was the case during the 2013 and 2017 elections.
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