Mon, 28 Jan 2008 07:15:37 -0800 (PST)



The answer to this question is an absolute NO!

In fact, sources close to PNU have revealed that the party is in the process of finalising plans to dismantle the top hierachy of the ODM as a way of legitimizing presidential elections that had Mwai Kibaki sworn in as Head of State.

One such sign emerged this weekend when individuals who identified themselves as police officers visited Raila Odinga's Karen home twice in a bid to serve him poll petition papers filed by one Stanley Livongo Livondo. Strangely, the Langata OCPD has confirmed that he did not send any police officers to Raila's home. The question remains; who did? Even out of this world were claims by Raila that he met Livondo in the Office of the President VIP lifts on the same day Kofi Annan had facilitated a three man meeting between Raila, Kibaki and Annan. TV footage had shown security men barring cabinet ministers, including VP Kalonzo, from entering Harambee House.

One wonders why Livondo, a private citizen, is accorded the benefit of state security to run personal errands on his behalf. Livondo claims he received 68,000 votes against Raila's 39,000 in the just concluded elections. The ECK had announced that Raila beat Livondo by a staggering 35,497 votes! You can read the Kumekucha post that announced the Langata results here.

Those who have been following Langata politics know that Livondo's is a political mercenary and that his ambitions to unseat Raila as Langata MP failed miserably even after a massive voter importation exercise into Langata from parts of Central Province prior to the elections and at a time when ECK had officially closed the register. What is intriguing is that Livondo's petition is rumoured to have been agreed upon immediately Kibaki was hurriedly declared president. The plan is to fast track the petition and have a friendly high court judge nullify Raila's election as Langata MP. Soon after, police will move in and quickly arrest Raila and Ruto and have them charged in court for organising and inciting violence in parts of Rift Valley against certain ethnicities.

A Langata by-election will then take place without Raila being one of the candidates! He will be disqualified on grounds of committing electoral malpractices.

PNU will have killed two birds with one stone. Raila and Ruto who form part of the prestigious ODM pentagon will be out of parliament and safely behind bars, and even more importantly, there will be no one to challenge the 're-election' of Mwai Kibaki as president.

Whether these plans succeed is another thing altogether.

          - Jarongo