Raila: I support the 'one man, one vote, one shilling' formula

Opposition leader Raila Odinga has backed calls for  the "one man, one vote, one shilling" model advocated by Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and a section of leaders from the Mt. Kenya region.

Addressing journalists on Thursday after meeting with the organizers of the Limuru III meeting led by Jeremiah Kioni, Mr. Odinga affirmed his support for the model, noting that its essence had been misinterpreted by a large section of Kenya's population.

"One of the points that was discussed extensively during the deliberations in Limuru is the issue of resource sharing. Somehow this thing has been misrepresented as if it is discriminating parts of our country," he said.

Additionally, the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya chief emphasized that the model would guarantee fair distribution of resources among all Kenyans, further stressing the importance of embracing the concept.

"Nothing could be further from the truth. It is not a question of discrimination. We want to ensure that each and every Kenyan gets a fair share of resources. This is what it is. It cannot be right that some children should get more money as bursaries than other children in other parts of the country," he said.

"This is a conversation that if we have openly, we will be able to convince majority of our people that that is the right way to go and that is why we had proposed it in the BBI. We want to ensure that each and every Kenyan is treated and that is why we agree with this ‘one man, one vote, one shilling.’ I totally agree with it. It may not be popular in some quarters but let us have this conversation."

At the same time, Mr. Odinga weighed in on the ongoing Financial Bill 2024 debate saying it will adversely hurt ordinary Kenyans, vowing to issue direction on the same comprehensively at a later date.