Raila Odinga at the Kenya Gala Dinner, KICC
Raila Odinga with his team will be holding a dinner in support of his presidential ambitions for the forth time. The team wants to raise Kshs. 1 Billion to fuel his presidential campaign.
The dinner will be held next week after being rescheduled from Monday at Safari Park Hotel.
The dinner plans were moved as NASA will be launching its manifesto next week Monday.
Those sitting at the platinum high table feasting with with the former Prime Minister will pay Sh10 million a plate. Gold donors will pay Sh5 million a plate and silver donors Sh3 million a plate.
The dinner will mirror the banquet by President Uhuru Kenyatta whose friends, mostly Mt Kenya business magnates, raised Sh500 million in two hours last Friday.
The number of guests has not been disclosed but sources say that the feast is set to bring together the creme de la creme in the business, civil society sectors.
“We will not be receiving cash. Those attending will be expected to come only with bank payment slips as proof of payment,” a source familiar with the plans told the Star.
There will also be pledges and donations in kind, such as vehicles, office space, staff and campaign materials.
Already tycoons and corporates have deposited contributions.
The opposition is expected to buy about Sh45 million airtime on each and every major television station for a record three hours to beam its manifesto launch on Monday.
After the fundraising extravaganza, NASA will hit the campaign trail in a show of might.
Billboards will be mounted strategically countryside, especially in major towns. NASA will buy prime time in all electronic and social media.
The event is being organized by Raila’s campaign secretariat headed by lawyer Willis Otieno.
Businessman Jimmy Wanjigi is part of the NASA campaign secretariat.
“The bulk of the money will go into logistics including paying salaries, transport, office rent, among others. Campaigns are expensive,” a source told the Star.
There has been speculation that South African Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa and Tanzanian President John Pombe Magufuli, both close friends of Raila, may invest in his campaign.
Others expected to oil Raila’s campaign machine are Nairobi Governors Evans Kidero, his Mombasa counterpart Hassan Joho as well as Machakos Senator Johnson Muthama.
