By IRENE MAKENA
At the onset of the GenZ demonstrations, many people, out of naivety, believed that Raila Odinga would give the youth the much-needed revolutionary impetus as a matter of course. In fact, many suspected that he was the one behind the mobilization with the noble intention of fighting bad governance, the high cost of living and spiraling corruption. Yet those who have studied Raila Odinga were not surprised when he joined forces with the government and betrayed the Kenyan youth and his opposition comrades. By joining hands with the Kenya Kwanza regime, Raila Odinga took the most automatic action according to his default political instinct. Historical evidence has it that Raila Odinga worships power, and whenever there was a shortcut to the prestige and privileges of power, he has always abandoned the struggle and teamed up with the oppressor. He has never failed to cut a deal with the powers that be to the detriment of the nation whenever an opportunity presents itself. As the leader of the opposition Azimio coalition, none expected the captain to abandon the ship in the middle of stormy weather and leave the fate of his crew and passengers under the perilous vagaries of the sea. The historical anecdote of Raila Odinga’s betrayal of the cause at the slightest dangling of a carrot speaks for itself.
After the 1997 General election, Mr. Odinga held a press conference with other opposition leaders who included Mwai Kibaki and Wamalwa Kijana, where they denounced Moi’s victory. They were emphatic that the election was rigged in favor of President Moi, and vowed to go to court. In a matter of hours, Mr. Odinga was beamed live shaking hands with President Moi, where he announced his decision to join the Moi government through what was dubbed ‘Cooperation’. He became the minister for energy and secretary general of Kanu. Raila’s knack for betraying allies has no match. When he declared Kibaki Tosha at Uhuru Park in 2002, he had just signed a coalition agreement with Simon Nyachae in the adjacent Serena hotel a few minutes earlier but he had done his calculations and knew where power was going. Nyachae never recovered from the shock.
The handshake with Uhuru Kenyatta in 2018 saw the country go through a tyrannical campaign of terror and intolerance on an industrial scale. The ideals were sacrificed for a space on the jubilee feeding trough. However, for him to be accommodated as Uhuru’s de facto co-president, Ruto, the deputy president, had to be treated as an outlaw. Under the auspices of the handshake, Raila Odinga spearheaded the most audacious and discredited campaign to destroy the 2010 constitution through the judicially impugned BBI. BBI was basically meant to manipulate the constitution and pave the way for Raila’s ascent to power. The judiciary thwarted the cavalier assault on the constitution. Raila’s politics is a documentary of pursuit of power at any means necessary. So, the betrayal of his grandchildren, those killed and maimed, is a natural deal cutting opportunity for the man from the lake.
However, there’s a silver lining in every cloud. By joining the unpopular Kenya Kwanza administration, Mr. Odinga will help shorten the period of suffering under Ruto from ten to five years. Judged in the light of the prevailing widespread disaffection with the regime, Kenyans will cast Ruto and Raila in the same political graveyard where both BBI and Raila’s, 2022 presidential aspiration are interred. Raila-Ruto project is premised on two pillars. One, Raila’s ODM loyalists joining the government as a guarantee to power and privilege at the national level, and two, President Ruto facilitates and spearheads a regional as well as a continental campaign for Raila Odinga’s AU chairmanship. This is meant to act as a dignified way to usher Mr. Odinga from national politics and leave the 2027 field for William Ruto. The question is…what happens if Raila Odinga fails to win the AU chairmanship?Realistically, the above pillars are built on quicksand and do not provide sufficient ground for the partnership to last beyond 2027. Do not forget that the so-called broad-based government has been built on the ashes of betrayal of the majority of citizens, opposition, and Uhuru Kenyatta, Raila Odinga’s chief supporter since 2018. So, what would prevent Raila Odinga from serving William Ruto with a similar coin in 2027 if there is a possibility of a stronger candidate? President Ruto can’t sit pretty expecting Raila Odinga to just endorse him in 2027. In fact, Raila and his allies have been emphatic that they are not in a coalition relationship with Kenya Kwanza. They have been insisting that they are only helping KK to revive the economy and stabilize the government. 2027 doesn’t seem to be in the cards. The parting of ways between KK and ODM is likely to end up replicating the Kanu-LDP divorce of 2002. A leopard doesn’t change its spots at old age.
However, the obscenest political thing has been hijacking the youth revolution and turning it into an opportunity to create jobs for ODM boys. Wamalwa Kijana was not far off the mark when he stated that…” Raila Odinga thrives best in violence, if you want to beat Raila, create order and the man is finished”. You see, the man is the greatest beneficiary of the GenZ crisis. The 2007 bloodshed made him Prime Minister, and the chaos he caused after losing the 2017 election forced Uhuru Kenyatta into almost abdicating presidency to Raila.
The GenZ revolution is alive and kicking. When you are fighting strong and entrenched forces, tactical retreats are part of the battle. The courage, brilliance, and resilience demonstrated by the Kenyan youths did not just fade away. The movement is slowly but surely gathering steam, taking notes from the experiences so far. Unfortunately for Raila Odinga, he has lost trust in the wider cross section of the population who saw him as defender of the weak. He stands exposed as an opportunist who has consistently stood on the wrong side of history.
