Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga stated that he has postponed crucial meetings he was to hold in Kakamega on Friday, August 20, 2021, a day after meeting the president in Mombasa.
Speaking in Homa Bay County on Thursday, August 19, Raila told the ODM delegates that he had a meeting with Uhuru and experts in the medical field who informed them of the dire situation Covid-19 has put the country in.
Odinga stated that following the information he received from the experts they resolved to cancel all public gatherings to avoid spreading the disease which has affected 224,400 people in the country since the first case was recorded in 2020.
"We held a meeting with experts yesterday in Mombasa and they informed us of the problem that Covid-19 has created in our country and that is why we decided to extend the containment measures," Odinga stated.
"But this meeting was already planned and major preparations had been made and it was difficult for us to just decide to postpone it but we decided to postpone all the other meetings starting with Kakamenga tomorrow," he continued.
Suna East Member of Parliament Junet Mohamed also addressed the decision by ODM to cancel all meetings that the party was to hold gatherings in Kakamega, Mombasa and Garissa noting that a later date will be announced.
During the Homa Bay meeting, Odinga championed modern development in the Nyanza region. He acknowledged that the area produces top-notch talents in the country calling for support of athletes and sports leagues.
"This region has an abundance of born soccer wizards and athletes; young boys and girls who, with just a little support, will easily make it to big leagues. But they are mostly on their own," the ODM leader remarked.
He further called on leaders from the region to improve healthcare and partner with the national government to support small businesses and infrastructure.
"We need to enhance investment in ICT and digital infrastructure to support communications and businesses especially those owned by the youth," Odinga opined.
"We have not done enough to identify and support the development of skills and talents especially among the youth."
