Tuesday, February 21, 2023 – East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) Member of Parliament (MP) Winnie Odinga supported President William Ruto’s decision to lift an earlier ban imposed on Ugandan dairy products by his predecessor, Uhuru Kenyatta.
This comes even as her father, Raila Odinga, has vowed never to recognise Ruto’s government.
He maintained that Ruto is illegitimately in office and has staged several rallies against the government.
Speaking during an interview, Winnie indicated that since Kenya and Uganda were both members of the East Africa Community, there was a need for increased integration.
“A poor person in Uganda and a poor farmer in Kenya are no different. We need to increase the living standards for everyone from this region,” Winnie stated.
According to her, uplifting standards needs a collaborative approach, and lifting the ban was a key step toward achieving this collaboration.
She further indicated that Uhuru’s decision in 2021, created a rift between Kenya and Uganda.
The MP argued that from the Kenyan farmers’ perspective, the production cost is relatively high, and finished products cannot compete with imported goods.
“However, I also see it from this side. We are meant to cooperate and trade goods, and therefore there shouldn’t be any of these restrictions,” she revealed.
Winnie indicated that the conversation should focus on economies of scale instead of bans and restrictions.
“What you can do in Uganda doesn’t have to be replicated in Kenya. Recently, there has been an egg shortage in the United States, and therefore we should be collaborating to sell all these eggs to the US,” she argued.
The Kenyan DAILY POST.