Raila Odinga: When we were fighting ‘Nyayo’, they were in YK92
By naomi.njoroge, May 27, 2022
Azimio-One Kenya alliance flag bearer Raila Odinga is pointing fingers at Deputy President William Ruto for delaying democracy in Kenya.
Raila used a campaign rally in Trans Nzoia county to attack Ruto, alleging that the Deputy President was among the members of Youth for Kanu ’92 alias YK92 during Moi’s era when he was fighting to have him exit power after his prolonged stay at the helm of this nation.
YK92 was a lobby group of politicians from the KANU party that was consolidated with the stated aim of rallying support and funding for Moi and was also widely accused of being ethnic.
“When we were fighting ‘Nyayo’ for his oppressive government, they were busy protecting him and now they think they can bring reforms in Kenya,” he stated.
Raila further criticized Ruto for his stand on the land issue alleging that Deputy President was not qualified to address land inequalities in the country.
He was responding to Ruto’s Wednesday promise to establish a fund to buy off huge tracts of land from absentee owners and use it to resettle squatters, especially at the Coast.
A day earlier, Ruto was quoted by a section of the media as having said he acquired 2,500 acres at the Coast from former Taita Taveta MP Basil Criticos after helping him to offset a loan.
Raila allies lunged at the statement, challenging Ruto to share part of his land with squatters. Ruto, on the other hand, dismissed the nomination of Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho as Lands Cabinet Secretary should Azimio-One Kenya Coalition form the next government after the August 9 election.
“Just the other day, I mentioned that I will have Hassan Joho as Cabinet Secretary for Lands so that he can address land issues in the Coast and the country at large. Now he (Ruto) is claiming he will establish a fund to buy land and give it to people who are landless,” Raila told a campaign rally.
According to him, there are historical injustices that Ruto does not understand.
“You have not read the history about coastal land issues. We (Azimio) know the problem and we have the solution,” he said.