Political commentator Tony Gachoka on Wednesday night hosted African Union (AU) envoy Raila Odinga on his newly launched political show, Point Blank, where they discussed the country’s hot political issues.
1. Dynasties Scheme to block DP Ruto from Presidency
According to Raila, the so-called Kenyatta, Moi and Odinga dynasties subject was the biggest myth propelled by his opponents.
He explained that dynasties used to exist in medieval Europe and the Middle East, but never in Africa.
Raila added that his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga came from a very poor background.
Furthermore, he stated that after Jaramogi became a freedom fighter, he was taken to prison, and when he was reelected he served for only one year then died.
"How is Raila a beneficiary of the dynasty? Where does the dynasty come from?" he posed.
2. Corruption
On the issue of Corruption, Raila stated that the war on corruption did not target any particular individual and that it shouldn't be regionalized.
"It does not matter who is involved. We should not try to regionalise it and say so and so is targeted or that so and so is also corrupt," he stated.
He also noted that Kenya had reached a stage where corruption could not allow for further development.
3. Separate election dates for the presidential and other elective seats.
According to the AU special envoy, the country needed to hold the senatorial, parliamentary and local government elections separate from the gubernatorial and presidential.
"Certainly, we need to revisit our electoral system. What we have been through is torture to the electorate. Six in one is just too much to the people, particularly the semi-illiterate," he addressed.
4. Building bridges initiative
He reiterated that the initiative was about changing Kenya. He added that without addressing the 2017 elections, there would be no 2022 elections.
" Nobody or a few people will go to the ballot in 2022 if there are no substantive changes to what happened in 2017," he declared.
5. The parliamentary system of government
According to Odinga, that was a discussion the country needed to have. He was of the view that Kenyans ought to look at what was happening in other countries.
"We need to come up with a solution that is Kenyan, but not copies," he noted.
He also mentioned that he was a strong supporter of the Bomas draft.
"At Bomas, we came up with the hybrid system very close to the French system; where you have a President elected by the people then a Prime Minister who is the leader of the majority party. The PM appoints the ministers in consultation with the President," he divulged.
