Raila asks presidents Kagame, Museveni not to cling to power
Cord leader Raila Odinga. As 2015 comes to an end and 2017 draws closer, handlers and supporters of Mr Odinga appear persuaded that their man is not only giving as good as he is getting, but also has changed tactics long before the next General Election is called. FILE PHOTO |
Opposition leader Raila Odinga has asked Rwanda President Paul Kagame and his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni not to extend their terms in office.
Mr Odinga said the two presidents should allow other people to lead instead of clinging to power.
He said democracy in Africa had been ruined by a few selfish leaders who wanted to rule for life.
Speaking at Strathmore University when he gave a public lecture titled “And Live Accordingly”, he asked the two, plus their Burundi counterpart Pierre Nkurunziza, to allow democracy to thrive in their countries by quitting office when their terms expire.
Uganda is getting ready for national elections in 2016 and President Museveni is expected to run, despite ruling for the last 30 years.
REMOVE LIMITS
“Museveni had been in power since 1986 to 1996 when they introduced term limits, but in 2005 he led the push to change that to remove the limits and today he has served for 30 years and next year he is a presidential candidate.
“He is saying that he wants a last term to construct the railway. If you have not done that in 30 years you cannot do it in the next five years,” said Mr Odinga.
Mr Odinga has himself indicated he would be seeking Kenya’s presidency in 2017, for the fourth time, after failing in the past three attempts.
In Rwanda, the ruling party is pushing for another term for President Kagame when he completes his tenure in 2017.
He is yet to declare his candidature but the push has gained momentum after parliamentarians voted in favour of a change to the law to give him another term.
“Kagame is a protégé of Museveni and he has learnt very well from him. He is leading a campaign that says nobody else can hold Rwanda together, that (the) Rwanda situation is unique and therefore (he) should stay in office.
“Those people will always have those arguments. President Obama told them that if you have not been able to mentor a successor for that period of time then the mistake is yours not the people,” Mr Odinga said.
