Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has addressed claims the government spent billions on his African Union Commission (AUC) chair campaigns.
The former Prime Minister made his first public appearance on Tuesday, February 24, since losing the race when he accompanied President William Ruto to State House Mombasa for an address. It was his coming home celebrations after enduring months of campaign outside the country.
While addressing the loss for the first time, Raila refuted claims that the government spent Ksh13 billion on his campaigns in the lead-up to the AUC elections.
"I have seen somebody talking about Ksh13 billion that was spent on the campaign. I don't know which world these guys live in and whether they know what a billion means," he said.
The former Prime Minister further clarified that the government only intervened to provide transport to and from the countries which he toured.
"Nothing can be further from the truth, no such amount was spent. The government only came through with transport to and from the countries we visited, some countries were generous enough to provide accommodation for us."
The sensational Ksh13 billion claims were publicised by Juja Member of Parliament George Koimburi, who has since faced legal regress over the same.
Last Tuesday, the MP was questioned by Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) detectives and was eventually freed on a Ksh200,000 cash bail after facing six charges related to forgery and uttering false documents.
In Mombasa, Raila also took the chance to thank President William Ruto and other legislators for the immense support he received before the elections, saying:
"Now I'm delighted to be back home," Raila said. "I feel very happy and delighted to be back in Kenya. I want to thank everybody, the President, the deputy, the ministers and leaders, and Kenyans generally who travelled with us on this journey."
Amid uncertainty over his next political move, Raila also promised to give his way forward soon after consultations with friends and other key stakeholders.
"I'm back home. I will meet with my friends and supporters and I will consult widely and in due course, we are going to announce our way forward," he affirmed. "For today, we are here to accompany the president and to thank the Kenyans who supported me."
Despite initially leading the first round with 20 votes, Raila was eliminated in the sixth round of voting after receiving 22 votes to Djibouti's Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf's 26 votes.
In the subsequent seventh round, Youssouf floored Raila after meeting the required two-thirds majority through 33 votes, securing the chairmanship for the next four years.
