Pro-Raila foreigners cause a stir by campaigning for him

Story by SATURDAY NATION Team
Publication Date: 8/11/2007

A group of foreigners took to the campaign trail in support of ODM Kenya presidential candidate Raila Odinga.

The team of 11, who said they were “investors and businessmen" from Germany urged a gathering of about 200 people in a hotel in Kapsabet town to vote for the Lang’ata MP when elections are called later in the year.

But the man they were campaigning for yesterday denied he had asked the group to drum up support for him as he seeks the ODM Kenya presidential nomination.

And the German Embassy in Nairobi also denied knowledge of the foreigners saying they had not informed it of their presence in the country.

The group is led by Mr Andrew Hemline, who last week addressed a meeting of grassroots leaders of parties allied to the Orange Democratic Movement, and urged them to vote out President Kibaki’s Government because it had allegedly failed Kenyans.

Friends of Odinga

Those who attended the meeting held in one of the hotels in Kapsabet Town, in Nandi North district, said they had been informed by ODM-K officials and Friends of Odinga lobby that some investors from Germany would hold a rally in the town and urge Kenyans to elect Mr Odinga in the December election.

But the organisers, among them ODM-K officials in Emgwen constituency, led by Mr Ishmael Choge, Ms Rose Ngeny and Mr Christopher Kemboi (Emgwen ODM-K chairman) and Mr Simeon Sawe (treasurer), said since they did not have a police permit to hold the rally, they advised the foreigners to hold their meeting in the hotel.

At the hotel meeting, the group praised Mr Odinga and denounced other ODM leaders, especially Mr Kalonzo Musyoka and Kanu chairman Uhuru Kenyatta, terming the two as sympathisers of the Government.

The group showed a film and urged Kenyans to follow the example of the people of Venezuela who took to the streets and unanimously helped President Hugo Chavez to win elections in 1999.

President Chavez charmed his way into the hearts of poor and working class Venezuelans by employing his charisma and flamboyant public speaking style on the campaign trail.

The team's calls for a Venezuelan kind of revolution prompted a walkout by some people.

However, Mr Odinga yesterday denied claims that he had brought the Hemline group into the country to campaign for him.

He described Mr Hemline as a friend and "a musician" who was giving his opinion about the present political situation in the country.

"He is not campaigning for me at all and I have not asked him to do anything for me," said Mr Odinga.

He said he had not thought of hiring outsiders to assist him in his campaign and stated that whoever emerged the ODM-K presidential candidate would win the elections.

Remain neutral

An official at the German embassy denied any official links with Mr Hemline and his group and sought to reassure Kenyans that his government had no preferred candidate in the Kenyan elections.

“Germany has no specific candidate it supports in the coming elections and will always remain neutral. The activities of private enterprise cannot be used to link the embassy with any politician,” said an official.

The Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK), which is in charge of voter education, also denied having enlisted the team to educate the people at the grassroots.

ECK Vice-Chairman Gabriel Mukele said the team was not part of organisations which will conduct civic education.

“We have just shortlisted 33 organisations to carry out voter education. They are well qualified and experienced but not those Germans. Enlisting them would not be proper,” he said.

Yesterday, the Nandi North district security committee said it was not aware of the group’s activities.

District Commissioner Haron Komen said the committee was never informed that the group would call a rally or a meeting in Kapsabet town in support of Mr Odinga.

Mr Komen defended the Provincial Administration, saying it did not play a big role whenever political rallies took place and that his office learned of the meeting after the group had left.

European Union

During the Kapsabet meeting, Mr Hemline urged Kenyans to vote for Mr Odinga, saying the German government and some members of the European Union wanted the ODM-K presidential hopeful to take over because President Kibaki had failed them and that his association with retired President Daniel arap Moi was meant to return Kenya to the single party era.

However, the claim was denied by the German embassy. “If they have said anything on behalf of the Government of Germany, then we strongly deny. Obviously, that is nonsense,” said the embassy official. “I have never heard of the group and the private enterprise is not obliged to tell us what their mission is in the country,” he added.

Apart from Mr Odinga, others seeking the ODM presidential ticket are former vice-president Musalia Mudavadi and MPs Musyoka, William Ruto, Najib Balala, Joseph Nyaga and Julia Ojiambo.

The group promised to have Kenyans in major towns mobilised within the next four weeks and rally them behind Mr Odinga for real change in the country.

Reports by Tom Matoke, Bernard Namunane and Lucas Barasa