Five times he stood on the brink of power. Five times, he walked away without it. Yet through every defeat, Raila Amolo Odinga never walked alone.
Raila has vied for Kenya’s presidency in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022 — each campaign energizing millions who saw in him a symbol of reform, hope, and unfinished liberation. But for all his efforts, Kenya’s top seat has remained just beyond his grasp, eluding him through disputed elections, razor-thin margins, courtroom showdowns, and political betrayals.
This is the story of a man who has been everything in Kenyan politics — except President.
This is Raila Amolo Odinga
Born on January 7, 1945, in Maseno, Siaya County, Raila’s path was paved by both legacy and resistance. His father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, was Kenya’s first Vice President — a founding father who refused to celebrate independence without justice. From Jaramogi, Raila learned early that “truth is costly, but silence costs even more.”
That truth would come to define Raila’s life
After schooling in Kenya, Raila traveled to East Germany, earning a degree in Mechanical Engineering. But his true calling lay not in machines, but in mending a fractured nation ruled by iron fist.
In 1982, Raila was implicated in a failed coup attempt against President Daniel arap Moi. Though never formally charged in court, he was detained without trial — for almost nine years. Locked in the dark torture chambers of Nyayo House, Raila endured isolation, pain, and psychological torment. But through it all, he remained defiant.
When freedom finally came, Raila chose reform over revenge
In the early 1990s, as Kenya stirred with the winds of change, Raila became a fierce advocate for multiparty democracy. Alongside fellow reformers, he pushed against Moi’s one-party state, enduring arrests, political sabotage, and surveillance. Their fight paid off in 1991, when Kenya restored multiparty democracy — a seismic shift in its political landscape.
Raila’s most iconic political moment came in 2002, when he uttered the three words that changed history: “Kibaki Tosha.”
With that declaration, he stepped aside to back Mwai Kibaki, helping to deliver a crushing defeat to KANU and ending four decades of its rule. But the price was steep. After playing kingmaker, Raila found himself sidelined in the new government — setting the stage for his first major presidential bid.
The Five Battles for State House
1997: Running under the National Development Party (NDP), Raila finished third behind Moi and Kibaki. It was his first foray into presidential politics — and a warning shot of what was to come.
2007: Perhaps the most controversial election in Kenya’s history. Running on the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket, Raila appeared poised for victory. But the Electoral Commission declared Kibaki the winner, sparking post-election violence that left over 1,000 dead and hundreds of thousands displaced. The crisis forced a power-sharing agreement, and Raila became Prime Minister — a role that allowed him to push for reforms, including the birth of a new constitution.
2013: Now backed by the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD), Raila faced Uhuru Kenyatta. The results were close, but the Supreme Court upheld Kenyatta’s win. Raila conceded but not without challenging the integrity of the process.
2017: The election was annulled by the Supreme Court — a historic first in Africa. But when the electoral body set a repeat date, Raila boycotted the rerun, citing lack of reforms. Kenyatta was declared winner in a largely uncontested election.
2022: Backed by outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta and running under the Azimio la Umoja coalition, Raila made his fifth and final attempt. He lost narrowly to William Ruto. Another court battle followed — and once again, the Supreme Court upheld the result.
Despite the defeats, Raila Odinga remains one of the most influential figures in Kenya’s post-independence history.
From championing the 2010 Constitution, which devolved power and rebalanced the executive, to defending civil liberties and social equity, his imprint is etched into Kenya’s political DNA.
Legacy Beyond the Ballot
To his admirers, he is “Baba” — the father of modern Kenyan democracy. To his critics, he is a perennial candidate who could never clinch victory.
But to history, Raila stands as something else entirely: A symbol of resilience, of democratic struggle, and of a nation’s stubborn hope.
He has been detained, betrayed, sidelined, and beaten but never broken.
And now, as age and time slow his political march, the question lingers in the minds of many:
Was Raila Odinga Kenya’s greatest president who never was? Only history and the generations he inspired will answer that.
