ODM Responds to Raila’s China Trip

The reports further indicated that Raila flew together with his daughter Winnie Odinga and a male aide on Sunday, June 21.

“‪Ignore the fake news. It is the work of sick people who have run out of ideas. Ends,” he stated.

According to Etale, the former premier flew to DRC Congo in his capacity as the African Union Envoy for the virtual Pan African Conference on the Grand Inga Dam.

“Hon. Raila Odinga is currently in Kinshasa, DRC in his capacity as the AU High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa for the virtual Pan African Conference on the Grand Inga Dam. The project aims to unlock the world’s largest hydro-power scheme and is part of the vision to develop a continental power system that is key to Africa’s manufacturing and value addition ambitions,” Etale stated.

The dam has been touted as Africa’s biggest water project with leaders expected to grace the event either physically or virtually including those from Angola, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, South Africa and Kenya.

The Inga Dams are two hydroelectric dams connected to one of the largest waterfalls in the world, Inga Falls. They are located in the western Democratic Republic of the Congo and 140 miles southwest of Kinshasa

This site has been informed that Raila Odinga had earlier been tasked, by the financiers, with speaking directly to leaders about the project with the intention of the meeting being the discussion of its feasibility.

This discussion is said to include funding sources, contractors and timelines for the project. The project includes eight separate dams with a power output of 43,500MW and is expected to cost $80 billion (approximately Ksh8 trillion).

According to a schedule for the event shared by Raila, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi is expected to kick off the event with an opening speech at around 12:30 p.m. on Monday, June 22, before Raila gives an address at 1:30 p.m.

Among those expected to address the event are Wang Yu, the President of China Three Gorges International, Jeffrey Sachs from Columbia University and Laura Gnassou, an experimental economist.

It remains unclear whether Odinga flew to Kinshasa amid COVID-19 restrictions as by the time of going to press, the ODM party was yet to respond to our inquiries.

Former State House insider turned a pig farmer by the ongoing political changes Denis Itumbi has, however, stated that Raila is not in Congo and send a few representatives.

Ukiona watu wa ofisi ya Raila Odinga tell them, to either keep quiet or tell us the Truth.

Raila has sent Ambassador Elkanah Odembo and a few other representatives to the Special Virtual Pan-African Conference on the Grand Inga Dam. pic.twitter.com/ShUIJHA1wY

— Dennis Itumbi, HSC (@OleItumbi) June 22, 2020

ODM leader Raila Odinga has remained evasive over his past recent trips to China. Last year, for instance, he met President Uhuru Kenyatta and the two leaders declined to comment about the trip despite claims that China had flatly rejected Kenya’s request for a Sh368 billion loan.

The loan was to extend to flopped SGR to Kisumu. We had highlighted about the SGR contract that was recently declared null and Void.

“I will be part of the delegation that will accompany the President to the Asian country next week. The new SGR line will extend from Naivasha to Narok, Bomet, Sondu and finally Kisumu,” Mr Odinga is quoted telling a crowd during a stopover rally at Sondu market in Kisumu.

State House would later clarify that the loan was not part of the agenda between presidents Kenyatta and China’s Xi Jinping moments after claims that the negotiations fell through.

A statement issued by the Commission of African Union on April 21,  indicated that he would be in China from April 25 to 27,  for the Second Belt and Road Forum.