Pact of deceit? Government critic alleges abduction and assault despite Raila’s assurances
Several political observers have however registered pessimism in Odinga’s pact with Ruto as an avenue to ending political injustices and ensuring economic prosperity.
The ordeal of government critic Mumbi Seraki who was allegedly abducted and assaulted before being released has brought to question the pact between Orange Democratic Movement Party leader Raila Odinga and President William Ruto in which the promise to stop rights violations topped their agenda.
In the pact that Odinga described as one which was forged to end gross human rights violations such as arbitrary arrests, enforced disappearances and abductions, there were also other six pledges that the two parties fronted for the benefit of Kenyans.
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Seraki, an artiste, resurfaced days after her alleged abduction, four days after it was reported.
Taking to social media, Seraki thanked Kenyans who called for her ‘release’ even though from the photos she shared online, she sustained visible body injuries.
“They almost got me last Friday family, but as fate would have it, I am back home, safe and sound. Battered, bruised, burnt, but still very much here to bring in the new dawn,” she said.
As per the pictures, Seraki sustained head, hands and leg injuries and also suffered a bruised eye. She also had stitches on her head, suggesting a deep cut wound. Police have however not commented on her ordeal and claims of abduction.
Odinga’s ODM Party had claimed that they will not tolerate any further acts of abduction or maltreatment of government critics following the pact with Ruto’s administration.
ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna said he will be keen to see if Ruto respects the rule of law by not tolerating incidences of kidnapping associated with his government.
“My work will be very simple according to the pact we made with the government: to see whether the government of Ruto has stopped abductions or not,” said Sifuna.
Several political observers have however registered pessimism in Odinga’s pact with Ruto as an avenue to ending political injustices and ensuring economic prosperity.
Lawyer Willis Otieno believes Odinga’s association with Ruto will not salvage his “dwindling” political fortunes.
“They will lose terribly and that is very clear. What is the fundamental ideology that brings them together? What’s their intent? If it were for the public good, they would have started by apologising to Kenyans and acknowledging that mistakes were made and atrocities committed,” said Otieno.
Political commentator Samuel Owida who spoke to The Eastleigh Voice said he is not surprised that arbitrary arrests, detentions and even abductions will continue even after the pact Odinga had with Ruto.
“You are mistaken. The pact was for political expediency and self-serving interests. I think human rights activists should brace for tougher times ahead because there will be no change at all,” claimed Owida.
Owida also believes that the economic improvement promised in the MoU is not likely to be realised, considering Odinga’s past pacts with former presidents.
Financial leakages
On Wednesday evening during a televised interview, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi made the revelation that the government’s procurement system is a significant source of financial leakages.
“We have talked about implementing e-procurement because we lose so much money in procurement alone. Many figures have been thrown around; remember the former president talked about us losing Sh2 billion per day. I once made a joke, which went viral, that if we could just reduce our theft by 50 per cent,” Mbadi said.
Mbadi stated that if at least half of the estimated Sh2 billion daily losses to graft is curbed, the country could save Sh365 billion annually—a figure that far exceeds the Sh280 billion in external debt maturing in 2025.
“If we are stealing Sh2 billion per day as an economy and we make a conscious decision to steal just a billion… If you had been stealing Sh1,000, you steal Sh500—although that is not desirable, I want it to be zero. But even then, we would save Sh1 billion per day, translating to Sh365 billion per year.”
The agreement between Ruto and Odinga, which comes after years of political rivalry, seeks to implement the recommendations of the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report, including the creation of the office of the official opposition leader and the reinstatement of the Prime Minister’s position.
At the core of the agreement is the implementation of the NADCO report, which had previously been shelved despite its far-reaching recommendations. The report advocates for exclusivity, good governance and the protection of devolution, among other reforms.
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