Extravagance

Raila Amolo Odinga has come out to be one of the most extravagant human existing in Kenya. This fella is always on some missions abroad which I don't understand how they impact the Kenyans well being. If he ever becomes a Kenyan president - which will not happen anyway - he would be spend most of the time on "diplomatic" journeys just like a certain president somewhere in Central Africa who spends much of the time in France and goes back to "his" people when the elections are near.

How does he even get some sleep in a presidential suite and yet 70% of his constituents spend sleepless nights either because of hunger or lack of shelter.

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Cherangany MP Joshua Kutuny has told Parliament that Prime Minister Raila Odinga slept in a plush hotel in the US, which cost the taxpayer Sh602,000 (USD7000) a night for the Presidential Suite.

The legislator had wanted Mr Odinga to confirm to MPs that he slept in the said hotel. He tabled the rates for the hotel, which no one contested.

The PM, responding to Mr Kutuny's query, said he slept at the super-luxurious Waldorf Astoria in a swanky address in New York City. He was in the US for 10 days with a delegation of ministers, permanent secretaries, MPs and other government officials.

Mr Odinga told the House that most delegations to the United Nations stayed at the Waldorf Astoria hotel during the meetings at the UN headquarters, and really, as the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya, MPs shouldn’t expect him to “stay at some backstreet hotel”.

He added that three years ago he slept in the hotel and no questions were asked about how much money was spent.

Mr Kutuny charged—and Mr Odinga didn’t refute-- that the government forked out USD7000 for the Prime Minister, while the rest of the delegation paid USD 4,500 (Sh387,000) per night during the 10-day trip. It is not clear if Mr Odinga and his delegation had reservations lasting all the 10 days given that his trip took him to Florida, Washington DC and Massachusetts.

Just like the Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, the Prime Minister is entitled to the Presidential Suite in his foreign visits, whose cost is billed at USD7000 per night.

Mr Odinga said that the responsibility of booking hotels was with the ambassadors in whichever countries government officials visited. But even as the ambassadors make the reservations, the bills are footed by the relevant government departments, and ultimately the taxpayer.

“Each government department normally meets the travel and accommodation cost of its officers on official travel abroad,” the Prime Minister said.

The PM told the House that the foreign trips were being portrayed as joyful events, when they were stressful indeed.

“The trips are not for pleasure. I see it as a duty,” he said during the 45-minute weekly address to Kenya’s Parliament. He added that it was “punishing” to travel and immediately sit in meetings, because of the fatigue associated with air travel.

The PM said that he received invitations on a daily basis, and that he’s declined so many invitations.

“We only undertake those that are necessary,” said Mr Odinga said. “Such travel is limited to official government business and only concerned government officials with a direct input in such business engage in such travel. All trips by Ministers and Assistant Ministers are approved by H.E. the President.”

He added that the government was out to curtail expenditure on trips, and only spend on what it considers very necessary.

“The world will not come to Kenya’s assistance unless Kenyans go out to seek that help,” the Prime Minister said. “We do business by inviting (foreign partners) to come and also by going out to engage them”.

Since March 27, the Prime Minister has been to the United Arab Emirates, the US, France, South Africa, Zimbabwe and Cote d'Ivoire.

Of all these trips, the PM said, two were not funded by the taxpayer: the one to Zimbabwe which was paid for by ODM because it was an arrangement with Zimbabwe’s Movement for Democratic Change. And the one to Cote d'Ivoire, which he said, was paid for by the African Union due to his erstwhile role as a mediator in the post-election crisis in the West African state.

From the trip to the US, the PM came back with an assurance of USD15 million (Sh1.29 billion) from the US Vice President Joe Biden for border patrol. In France, he managed to get Sh7.5 billion to shore up resources of the Geothermal Development Corporation.

“Currently we are targeting 1 billion Euros for our renewable energy programme,” Mr Odinga said.