[National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale. He has defended the decision by event organisers and the executive to snub Opposition leader Raila Odinga during Madaraka Day. Courtesy: The Star]
National Assembly Majority Leader Aden Duale has defended the executive's decision to deny Opposition coalition NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga an opportunity to address Kenyans during Madaraka Day.
This year's Madaraka Day celebrations were held in Nyeri last week on Thursday.
The former premier had graced the occasion presided over by President Uhuru Kenyatta on invitation from the state.
In a press briefing on Saturday in Garissa, Duale noted that it was not mandatory for the Opposition chief to speak.
He, however, noted that Mr Odinga was a respectable leader.
“There was no crime in him not been given a chance to speak. This was not a rally, wedding or a funeral for that matter but a national celebrations day,” the Garissa Township lawmaker noted.
“If Raila Odinga does not speak or talk on a national day, does that mean that Kenya is not cohesive and inclusive? The inclusivity of the people of Kenya is the 45 million citizens. It’s not an individual," he added.
The snubbing of Mr Odinga elicited a lot of reaction on social media.