The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) claims the “handshake” partners, Raila Odinga and retired President Uhuru Kenyatta looted to fund the former’s presidential campaign.
In a statement read by UDA secretary general Cleophas Malala on Wednesday, the party said monies set aside for fuel and maize subsidies during Uhuru’s tenure were indeed channeled into the former prime minister’s campaign.
“It is outrageous that these two so-called “handshake partners” were actually partners in crime! The controller of the budget has confirmed that 4 billion was released to pay maize millers for subsidies, yet the maize millers never received the money. This was yet another act of shameless theft by the handshake brothers,” said Malala.
According to the former Kakamega senator, reports indicate that the money was later used to buy maize and hoard just to create artificial shortage.
The President William Ruto-led party wants Raila and “friends” to take responsibility for the stealing from the public.
PRESS RELEASE
A 26 MINUTE HEIST; THE HANDSHAKE LOOT
The revelations by the controller of budget yesterday was extremely shocking, astonishing, inconceivable and simply depressing. Stealing over 15 billion Kenyan shillings in under 26 minutes just before the end of Uhuru's… pic.twitter.com/btAK9KkTh8
— United Democratic Alliance, UDA. (@UDAKenya) March 8, 2023
“Odinga and his friends are responsible for pilfering public coffers to its dry bone. We demand that that the handshake regime account for the monies they stole because they used Ukur Yatani to steal the money to fund Raila’s Presidential campaign and brutalize Kenyans who demanded accountability. The Kenyan people deserve leaders who are honest and accountable, not those who use their position to enrich themselves at the expense of the people,” added Malala.
As a result, the ruling party wants the ODM leader and his alleged accomplices to return their loot and tell Kenyans where they hid the maize and when they are ready to release it.
“We demand that Raila and his friend take responsibility for their actions and repay the money they have stolen. We also ask Kenyans not to be hoodwinked and used by the selfish leaders to advance their parochial egoistic interests,” he continued.
On the damning revelations made by Controller of Budget Margaret Nyakang’o, Malala applauded her for confessing and urged other public servants who might have been coerced into making similar transactions to come forward.
Read: I was Forced to Release Sh11 Billion Before August Polls – Controller of Budget
“We urge the anti-graft agencies to hastily commence investigations in light of the revelations by Controller of Budget and unearth all the corrupt leaders and their accomplices. We also demand an audit of all the capital projects undertaken by the rogue handshake regime in view of ascertaining whether public funds were expended on private businesses,” he said.
“The investigations should also not be limited to pilferage on public funds but deliberate collapse of institutions, repatriation of looted money stashed on offshore accounts and suspicious tax exemptions by compromised officers at KRA.”
They also want the investigations extended to individuals that might have “misused public facilities, ordered extra judicial killings, forced disappearances and wanton destruction of livelihoods through a weaponized criminal justice system”.
“All the culpable public officers who were used to steal from Kenyans must face full force of the law and no amount of maandamano or cajoling will save them from the wrath of wananchi and the independent authorities constitutionally mandated to execute their duties.”
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