Raila makes promise to petty offenders if elected president
By Joshua Cheloti
There will be no petty offenders behind bars should former Prime Minister Raila Odinga form the next government.
Raila who is also the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader says should he be successful in his bid to be the country’s fifth head of state, all petty offenders currently in prison will be set free.
The ODM leader is vying for the presidency under the Azimio la Umoja Coalition.
Speaking during a virtual political rally on Friday night, Raila hit out at the country’s judicial system, which he accused of prioritizing the arrest of petty offenders rather than going after high-profile persons facing more serious crimes such as graft charges.
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ODM Leader Raila Odinga during the Azimio La Umoja convention at Kasarani Stadium on Friday, December 10, 2021. |Courtesy| Twitter|[/caption]
He made the statement in reference to a recent incident in which a petty offender Alvin Linus Chivondo was sentenced to a jail term after he admitted to stealing cooking oil at a Nairobi supermarket.
Raila would later call for the unconditional release of Chivondo, but it took the intervention of former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko to have him released from Industrial Area Prison in Nairobi after paying the Ksh100,000 fine that the court had slapped Chivondo with.
“This is a very worrying case, it shows just how flawed our judicial system can be at times. He is just a petty offender but he was sentenced quite quickly yet we have persons facing graft cases. In most cases, they are not even arrested and when they are apprehended they get out of remand quickly,” said Raila said during the rally streamed live on multiple social media platforms.
“When they are freed on bail, nobody follows up on their cases. We have a lot of petty offenders in our prison but in the event I clinch the presidency, I will free them and I will prioritize the arrest and sentencing of high profile gangsters,” he added.
The Chivondo case had elicited mixed reactions, as it come within a week of a Mombasa court ruling that adjourned a murder case facing Kilifi Gubernatorial aspirant Aisha Jumwa, to allow her concentrate on her campaign.
ODM Leader Raila Odinga during the Azimio La Umoja convention at Kasarani Stadium on Friday, December 10, 2021. |Courtesy| Twitter|[/caption]
He made the statement in reference to a recent incident in which a petty offender Alvin Linus Chivondo was sentenced to a jail term after he admitted to stealing cooking oil at a Nairobi supermarket.
Raila would later call for the unconditional release of Chivondo, but it took the intervention of former Nairobi Governor Mike Sonko to have him released from Industrial Area Prison in Nairobi after paying the Ksh100,000 fine that the court had slapped Chivondo with.
“This is a very worrying case, it shows just how flawed our judicial system can be at times. He is just a petty offender but he was sentenced quite quickly yet we have persons facing graft cases. In most cases, they are not even arrested and when they are apprehended they get out of remand quickly,” said Raila said during the rally streamed live on multiple social media platforms.
“When they are freed on bail, nobody follows up on their cases. We have a lot of petty offenders in our prison but in the event I clinch the presidency, I will free them and I will prioritize the arrest and sentencing of high profile gangsters,” he added.
The Chivondo case had elicited mixed reactions, as it come within a week of a Mombasa court ruling that adjourned a murder case facing Kilifi Gubernatorial aspirant Aisha Jumwa, to allow her concentrate on her campaign. What's Your Reaction?
