PRESIDENT UHURU SAYS STRANGE THING ABOUT RAILA ODINGA

President Uhuru Kenyatta has rallied Muslims to elect Azimio presidential flagbearer Raila Odinga on August 9.

The President used an Iftar dinner at State House on Thursday to campaign vigorously for Raila, describe his infrastructure achievements and appeal for peace and unity.

He addressed about 2,000 Muslim leaders from around the country.

Uhuru described Raila as a “genuine and mature leader” with deep love for his country and a track record of political steadfastness.

“I request you that we all unite under the umbrella of Azimio. And when I look left or right, I see no other [person] who has the capacity of uniting us,” he said.

The head of state said the ODM chief has demonstrated his capacity to forgive, to be calm and patient even at the most trying moments.

“I am not saying that because I hate anyone. I do not hate anybody but there are actions that human beings hate,” he said.

“Maybe one day we will forgive those others when they remember that patience pays, peace is important and humility is a great virtue,” the President said.

In a thinly veiled attack on his deputy, William Ruto, President Kenyatta said the country needs a leader who cherishes peace and unity, not one that is driven by selfish interests.

“Pride is not the way to leadership but humility. One has to be humble to get leadership,” the President said.

Once again, Uhuru likened the country’s leadership to a relay race where one administration builds upon the foundation laid by others who came before then.

He urged Kenyans to shun divisive leaders.

“It is what we call relay race. You run and hand over the baton to your colleague. Kenya is here and it will continue to endure even after we are long gone.”

“Many have been with us and many have left us. We thank them for what they did and their achievement,” he said.

The head of state urged the electorate to elect steadfast leaders capable of uniting the country and offering solutions to their many problems.

“I want to tell you building a nation is not as easy as most people think. There are so many storms and it requires a steady hand, not a hand that looks at everything from a selfish point of view,” he said.

“Now, if you are looking for somebody to blame instead of fixing the problem, how can you be a problem solver? You are a problem identifier,” he said.

“And this country requires a problem solver because there is no day when problems will cease, problems will continue to arise.”

He urged the Muslim leaders to pray for the country as Kenyans prepare to go to the polls to elect their leaders.

“We pray that we get a leader who will unite us and continue tackling our problems,” he said.

The President said the country has made tremendous progress in building infrastructure and in other sectors of the economy.

He attributed his administration’s success in infrastructure development to peace and tranquility.

“We have peace, we have achieved some progress as we worked together,” the President said.

“We are united and wananchi have the freedom and democracy to express themselves freely and, most importantly, they have the freedom to worship,” he said.

The President said his administration was working around the clock to address hunger and starvation across the country due to severe drought and famine.

Clergy and leaders expressed gratitude to the President for hosting them every year during the Holy Month of Ramadan.

Among those who attended the Iftar dinner were Sports CS Amina Mohamed and Tourism CS Najib Balala.

Also present were Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, Supkem national chairman Hassan Ole Naado, Sheikh Khalifa and Sheik Abdullahi Abdi.

“It is only your government that we Muslim leaders who work under you know what you mean for this country,” Balala said.

“You have built infrastructure even where you did not get votes.”

Courtesy