[ODM party leader Raila Odinga. Photo/standard.co.ke]
Opposition leader Raila Odinga has refuted claims that he has been forced to cut short his trip to the US.
A local newspaper had reported he was forced to return back to the country in order to attend an emergency Nasa meeting scheduled for March 21.
His spokesman Dennis Onyango, however termed the reports as untrue and propaganda aimed at creating tension, that there was crisis in the Nasa coalition.
“Mr Odinga is due in the country tomorrow evening, March 20, 2017, which will be the tenth day since he left. That period is within the time frame described in our statement of 10th March 2017 that he would be away for “slightly over a week” read the statement in part, Sunday.
“The claim by the Sunday Nation today that Mr Odinga has cut short his stay in the US to attend Nasa crisis talks is therefore a lie and a fabrication intended to create the impression that there is a monumental problem in the National Super Alliance (NASA) which he is rushing back to resolve,” added Onyango.
He further dismissed existence of the alleged emergency meeting, saying National Super Alliance meetings between the four principals were normal.
“There are no crisis talks scheduled by Nasa as claimed by the Sunday Nation. Any talks between the leaders would be routine consultations that should be expected. It would be a crisis when the leaders don’t meet,” he said.
“Nasa takes the Sunday Nation story as part of the propaganda war being waged on the Opposition by the government using media outlets whose larger purpose is to create panic and a siege mentality among Opposition supporters.”