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Mudavadi: ODM has its dictator

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Published on Monday, 04 June 2007 04:11
There is a dictator among the nine ODM-Kenya presidential aspirants, one of them has claimed.

Mr Musalia Mudavadi, an ODM-Kenya presidential aspirant, made the claim on Friday and warned party supporters to beware. In claims that are likely to jolt the party’s presidential aspirants, Mudavadi said the ‘dictator’ should not be made the party’s flag bearer.

The former Vice-President said among the aspirants, at least one had tendencies like those of the late Ugandan strongman, Idi Amin Dada.
Without giving any name, Mudavadi said were the aspirant to be given the chance to succeed President Kibaki, he would plunge the country into dictatorship.

"I am asking ODM-Kenya supporters to vet us (presidential aspirants) thoroughly or we will end up electing a nominee only to realise later that we had exhumed the remains of Amin and planted them at State House," he warned. Supporters urged to dig deeper into past public life. Mudavadi said as the campaigns enter the home stretch, ODM-Kenya supporters should dig deeper into the past public life of all the aspirants before picking a candidate in June.

"Time has come for ODM-Kenya delegates who will be mandated to pick a candidate to investigate and evaluate us on our public office performance records. The office we are gunning for is more challenging," he said.

Mudavadi spoke at various centres in Nyamira District on Thursday, during his nomination campaigns in Nyanza. Accompanied by several parliamentary aspirants, Mr Walter Nyambati and Mr Dennis Abincha, Mudavadi said he was more experienced in public affairs compared to his competitors, but promised to support whoever would beat him at the nomination.

"My past speaks for itself. I have been a Cabinet minister and a vice-president. I have what it takes and when you gauge me you can’t see the traits of Idi Amin in me," he told supporters, in rallies that took him to West Mugirango, North Mugirango and Kitutu-Masaba constituencies.

Government accused increasing taxation. He said if elected President, he would initiate a university expansion levy, which would generate funds for establishing more institutions of higher learning to accommodate the increasing number of those who qualify for admission.

Mudavadi accused the Government of increasing taxation on almost all retail commodities only to use the same monies to "pretend to be offering Kenyans free services — among them primary education and health services". He decried the poor state of roads, saying dilapidated infrastructure had slowed down development.

He also criticised Police Commissioner Maj-Gen Hussein Ali’s ban on impromptu meet-the-people tours, terming it a plot to curtail opposition campaigns. "The order is aimed at cowing the Opposition as the President hits the road for a possible snap General Election," he said, at Tombe in Kututu Masaba constituency.