Azimio leader Raila Odinga has remained Kenya’s biggest opposition figure for the fourth time in his political career.
Despite Odinga’s political savvy and ability, the dismissal of the case by the seven-judge panel chaired by Chief Justice Martha Koome yesterday signaled an anticlimactic conclusion to his goal of being the country’s president.
However, the 77-year-old politician made a point of assuring Kenyans that he will continue “our campaign for openness, accountability, and democracy” in the future.
The 2022 election was a new beginning for the nation’s longest-serving opposition leader because he had the state’s backing, positioning him in a viewpoint to clinch the seat, unlike his previous four attempts at the top seat in 1997, 2007, 2013, and 2017, when he put up a spirited fight against the governments of the day.
In 1997, Raila led his supporters to form the National Development Party (NDP) and vied for the presidency in that year’s election, coming third behind then incumbent President Daniel arap Moi (Kanu) and Mwai Kibaki.
In 2002, Raila merged his NDP with the independence party becoming the secretary general of the new Kanu.
He later led out his party from the then ruling party to form the National Rainbow Coalition, which won that year’s presidential election.
The fallout in Kanu was triggered by Moi’s decision to name Uhuru Kenyatta as his preferred successor.
Raila quickly bolted out of Kanu with a number of Kanu heavyweights among them George Saitoti (then vice president), Kalonzo Musyoka and Joseph Kamotho.
Raila then joined hands with Kibaki to form the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) before making his famous “Kibaki Tosha” declaration at Uhuru Park on October 14, 2002. Narc won the election later that year, with Kibaki as President.
But few months after forming the government, a bitter fallout between Kibaki and Raila’s side over the implementation of a Memorandum of Understanding on the sharing of power.
In 2005, Raila led a group that opposed the draft constitution which Kibaki was spearheading. After the failure of the referendum, Raila and other Cabinet members who opposed the referendum were fired from the Cabinet.
Raila teamed up with Musalia Mudavadi, then Eldoret North MP William Ruto and others to form the Orange Democratic Party (ODM). Raila was the party’s presidential candidate in the 2007 election but controversially lost to Kibaki.
The post-election crisis which resulted from the disputed election resulted in the establishment of the Grand Coalition Government in which Raila became prime minister.
In 2013 election, Raila once again ran for president as the candidate of the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) which brought together Kalonzo and Moses Wetang’ula against Uhuru and Ruto of Jubilee.
When he lost the election to Uhuru, Raila lodged a petition in the Supreme Court but the case was dismissed.
As it has always been his norm to form a new political outfit in every election, in 2017, Raila cobbled up the National Super Alliance (NASA) comprising Mudavadi, Wetang’ula and Kalonzo as his running mate.
It is interesting to note Odinga’s liaison with Kenyatta’s government, with some arguing that it may have damaged his reputation as a representative of the people and established him as a state Project.
The Supreme Court earlier this week upheld president-elect William Ruto’s victory after first rejecting several of the petition’s major arguments.
The Apex Court cited one of the arguments as (Hot Air wild goose chase) in reference to the form 34A for Gacharagu primary school which was sensationally presented by Julie Soweto, showed that Jose Carmago accessed the RTS and interfered with the result contained.
After confirming Kenyatta’s election in 2017, Odinga filed a petition in that case, and the Kenyan Supreme Court created history by becoming the first court in Africa to annul the election of a president.
The court ordered a new election after citing irregularities in the first one, which was won by Kenyatta.
Although the election to the presidency now appears to be a done deal for Odinga, his supporters believe that his accomplishments in the struggle for democracy and second freedom will continue to be notable.
Azimio coalition has a lead with having reported 162 members excluding independents and the two small party MPs, giving Odinga a command and great advantage in the National Assembly being the opposition leader.