NASA presidential flag bearer Raila Odinga arrives for the Madaraka Day fete at Kabiruini grounds in Nyeri on Thursday. (Photo/the-star.co.ke)
Political analyst Peter Ngure has revealed why President Uhuru Kenyatta and his Deputy William Ruto ignored National Super Alliance (NASA) flag bearer Raila Odinga’s presence during Madaraka day fete in Nyeri on Thursday.
Ngure observes that UhuRuto might have feared that Raila could have used the stage to castigate their development agenda if given the opportunity to address the crowd.The analyst claims that with the political temperatures rising and the general election around the corner, Jubilee might have taken caution by not inviting the NASA leader on the stage.The analyst adds that being a national event, Jubilee might have also wanted to steer off politics. “The President and his deputy feared that Raila could have attacked them if they had invited him to speak," he said during the interview on Thursday.The analyst, however, believes it was improper for Raila to be denied opportunity to speak to the crowd.“Raila Odinga is a national leader and had every right to be acknowledged and also given chance to speak during the Madaraka fete,” he said.The analyst believes that UhuRuto’s move to deny Raila the chance of speaking at Madaraka fete will hurt their campaigns in some-way. The NASA leader was also not given chance to address the crowd, in a move that has elicited mixed reaction among Kenyans.In response, Raila said that he is not bothered by UhuRuto’s action adding that he attended the event after being invited by the President. Raila accused Jubilee of using the national day to campaign for re-election instead of calling for unity and reconciliation ahead of the August 8th polls.