Opposition leader Raila Odinga on Sunday reacted to reports in the Standard that there was a looming cabinet reshuffle being worked on by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
In a statement seen by Kenyans.co.ke, the opposition leader through his spokesperson Dennis Onyango stated that the reports on the local newspaper were troubling and disappointing.
"H.E. Raila Odinga has read with deep concern and disappointment reports appearing in the Standard Newspapers of an alleged looming reshuffle in government as a result of the ongoing corruption probe and his hand in the so-called reshuffle.
"Mr. Odinga takes great exceptions to this attempt by the Standard to use his name to provide refuge to the corrupt by implying that the crackdown on graft is merely an attempt by him to take “his people” into government.
"He finds the reporting malicious, retrogressive and diversionary and merely meant to undermine the war on graft while failing to take cognizance of the interest of the Kenyan public," the statement reads in part.
[caption caption="Uhuru, Raila hug as Kalonzo and Ruto look on"]
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Odinga further stated that the story was an attempt to put the country back on the path of politicizing the war on graft by public officers and private business people.
"The Building Bridges Initiative, to which Mr. Odinga is a signatory, has identified that path to have been the biggest impediment to Kenya’s war on corruption as it enables crooks to hide under political parties, communities and behind individuals to get away with their loot," Onyango conveyed.
He assured that the opposition leader remained committed to aiding the war on corruption from a wide and common front so as to remove any sanctuary where perpetrators could seek refuge as spelt out in the Building Bridges to the New Kenyan Nation.
"He fully backs the current crackdown on individual State officers and business people over the loss of billions of public funds and fully supports the tough stand by President Uhuru Kenyatta on this matter.
"He agrees that communities and parties don’t steal, only individuals do and appeals to the Kenyan public to disregard such diversionary reports and remain focused on rejecting the lords of corruption," the statement concluded.
[caption caption="Raila's spokesperson Dennis Onyango "]
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