Azimio leader Raila Odinga yesterday escalated his push for civil disobedience against President William Ruto’s government by raising questions about the planned importation of duty free rice, edible oils and fertilizer.

The Kenya National Trading Corporation (KNTC) has been granted permission to facilitate importation of various duty-free commodities that will cost the taxpayer Sh21.76 billion.

Raila, who was accompanied by Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Narc Kenya’s Martha Karua maintained that the Kenya Kwanza administration is illegitimate, claiming the Ruto government got rid of subsidies so that it can award importation tenders to people close to the administration.

 “They removed these subsidies so that they can give importation tenders of maize and rice to their friends, that is ongoing, corruption in this government has increased,” said Raila.

The supplies are meant to cushion at least 1.5 million Kenyans from starvation caused by the ravaging drought and also help subsidise food production. However, questions have been raised about how KNTC contracted the seven firms.

 “Corruption has increased, they said they will import food under subsidy, they revived the KNTC agency and set aside monies for it, then they gave out tenders which are given to their friends to import maize, wheat, oil and wheat,” claimed Raila.

  “KNTC was only revived because some people want to benefit from it. I hear they are even importing tractors illegally, that’s why they want them to go home,” said Raila, asking Kenyans to join the mass action campaign in the quest to push for reduced cost of living.

Reintroduction of KNTC

 Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir asked senators and MPs to question the reintroduction of the trading corporation, claiming that the government is not genuine with reducing the cost of living.

 The leaders raised queries why KNTC was given the billions of shillings to oversee the importation of the commodities given that its latest audited financial statements show that its total annual income was Sh150 million with a profit of Sh15 million.

 On the last General Election, Raila claimed Kenya Kwanza government colluded with the electoral agency to alter elections through four illegal servers mounted outside the country.

“We have realised there were four election transmission servers, one in Holland, another one in Venezuela, the third was in Anniversary Towers in Nairobi, and the fourth was in Bomas of Kenyans, the Venezuela one is the one that altered the elections,” claimed Raila.

He claimed that if the server is opened today, it will be revealed his side got 8.1 million votes while Ruto got 5.9 million votes saying it can scientifically be verified. He slammed the Judiciary saying what transpired in the judicial judgment is questionable.

Raila was accompanied by a host of Azimio leaders including Nassir, MPs Badi Twalib (Jomvu), Rashid Bedzimba (Kisauni),Mishi Mboko (Likoni), Babu Owino (Embakasi East) and Woman Rep Zamzam Mohamed.