Opposition leader Raila Odinga has rubbished claims of using the handshake pact with President Uhuru Kenyatta to push out a section of Jubilee Party members.
Speaking on Monday in Mombasa during the Mama Ngina Drive face lift, Mr. Odinga dismissed allegations of plotting to rock the ruling party from within following his newfound closeness to the Head of State.
“We could have continued with the way things were, but there would be no government today. That is why we decided to come together,” he said.
“Oh ‘now Raila is coming to Jubilee, he wants to kick out some people…’ Nonsense.”
The former Premier also urged politicians to stop politicking about the 2022 presidential elections saying the appropriate time will come.
“We’re now in 2019, there’s still 2020, 2021 before 2022… so we are telling these people to give us space to develop Kenya first,” said Mr. Odinga, who also turned 74-years-old on Monday.
The African Union High Representative for Infrastructure also termed Mombasa the “entrance” to Kenya as it was where the initial government was based before being transferred to Nairobi.
“The first city in Kenya is Mombasa. All goods coming into Kenya enter via Mombasa… and so if Mombasa ails, it infects the rest of Kenya,” said Mr. Odinga.
He lauded the renovation at Mama Ngina Drive, adding that it is just the beginning of many more development projects in the city saying “we can transform Mombasa to make it look like Dubai.”