Winnie Odinga Trolls Kenyans Longing for Raila’s Rescue
Odinga, a member of parliament for the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA), has mocked Kenyans who are requesting the intervention of his father, Raila Odinga, in the face of increased taxes and government service fees.
Winnie responded on Thursday to a tweep who requested her assistance in persuading Raila to organize new protests against the government’s recent punitive measures.
“Si uambie baba yako aweke maandamano,” the tweep’s tweet read. This can loosely translate to ‘Tell your father to organise protests’.
Winnie countered that a segment of Kenyans celebrated the election loss of Raila, the leader of the Azimio Party, to Ruto.
One of the criticisms directed towards Raila by Ruto, his supporters, and allies was that he be directed to retire in Bondo, Siaya County, his birthplace.
“Si ulimtuma Bondo? Achana na Babangu,” Winnie responded. This can loosely translate to ‘Didn’t you send him to Bondo? Leave my father alone’.
Raila Odinga has remained mute for a number of months as Kenyans continue to bear the burden of Ruto’s tax increases.
The government recently implemented punitive measures, one of which involved raising the replacement fee for identification cards from Ksh100 to Ksh2,000.
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In addition to increasing the fee for replacing identification cards, the Cabinet Secretary of the Ministry of Interior, Kithure Kindiki, escalated the cost of acquiring birth certificates from Ksh50 to Ksh200.
Furthermore, he raised the cost of a standard 66-page passport from Ksh7,500 to Ksh12.,000.
In the interim, Raila Odinga’s final public appearance occurred at State House on Tuesday, November 31, during the visit of King Charles III. Instead of addressing the public, the former prime minister appeared in photographs alongside Ruto.
Since the August 2022 General Election, Ruto and Raila have been at odds, with the latter alleging that the electoral process was manipulated to benefit the former.
As a result, Raila orchestrated a number of protests and issued a threat to continue them unless his complaints were acknowledged. Reducing the cost of living, reestablishing the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), which oversaw the August 2022 elections, and reopening IEBC servers were among his priorities.
The National Dialogue Committee was established to facilitate bipartisan discussions between the governing Kenya Kwanza alliance and Raila’s opposition party, Azimio, following their agreement to a ceasefire.
Winnie Odinga Trolls Kenyans Longing for Raila’s Rescue