Raila’s political journey and power quest for the last time
Raila Odinga’s political career has evolved over the years from a battle-hardened street protester, a tribal kingpin and an aggressive government bully to a generally acknowledged national leader and respected Pan-Africanist.
Odinga started his political career way before 1992 where he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Lang’ata to 2007.
He also served in the Cabinet of Kenya as Minister for Energy from 2001 to 2002 and as the Minister for Roads, Public Works and Housing from 2003 to 2005. He was appointed High Representative for infrastructure Development 2018.
Odinga first ran for president in the 1997 General Elections, coming third after President Daniel Arap Moi of KANU and Mwai Kibaki of the Democratic Party (DP), respectively.
He contested for the presidency again in the 2007 General Elections on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket.
In readiness for that poll, in 2007, Odinga was picked as ODM’s presidential nominee to face off with PNU’s Mwai Kibaki.
He managed to garner significant support in that election. According to the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK), the electoral body at the time, he swept the majority of the votes in Rift Valley (Kenya’s most populous area), Western, his native Nyanza, and Coast. Kibaki on the other hand won majority votes in Nairobi, North Eastern province, Central province and Eastern province.
He was the main opposition candidate in the 2007 presidential election, running against the then incumbent Kibaki in the subsequent presidential election 5 years later he placed second against current president Uhuru Kenyatta.
Odinga made another attempt for the presidency in August 2017 against Kenyatta where the outcome was eventually annulled by the Supreme Court following findings that the election was marred by “illegalities and irregularities”.
A subsequent fresh election ordered by the Court was won by Kenyatta when Odinga declined to participate citing inadequate reforms to enable a fair process in the repeat poll.
With four unsuccessful attempts behind him he is starting off this fifth run a different man who is facing a dangerous clash of character.
Having built a decades-long profile of a resistance rebel politics, Odinga now finds himself accused by his competitor Deputy President William Ruto of being a puppet, fondly defending the very government his supporters, and by a large extension his opponents, had known him to fight.
Where Odinga was the dependable politician who led protests against the Jubilee government’s borrowing in Uhuru’s first term, the former premier is now the administration’s defender-in-chief, explaining away its rising debt while castigating those calling for a review of the cost of food. Candidate Odinga of 2022 is less abrasive and less aggressive than in the past four elections
Kenyatta officially endorsed Odinga for the presidency while addressing delegates of the Mt Kenya region, he urged his community to back Odinga’s bid saying he has the best interests for the country.
“I’m asking you to support Raila Odinga as he means well for the Country. When “my young man reforms”, we will consider him,” Uhuru said.
