Kisumu City came to a standstill as the scion of Jomo was given a heroic welcome. The region that was perceived to hate him was in full praise of his leadership because of mega projects he had initiated in the area.
Quite strange that Uhuru can receive a more heroic welcome in Kisumu than he can receive in Kiambu, Nyeri or Murang’a.
Deep-rooted tribal bigotry has permeated the kikuyu and luo communities for long. President Uhuru Kenyatta is losing regional grip due to his association with Raila Odinga. Residents are slowly embracing deputy president William Ruto to punish the president over his close ties with the opposition leader whom they don’t like.
The recent outcome of by-elections where Jubilee candidates registered dismal performance in Mt Kenya region discloses how Raila is unwelcome to the vote rich region.
Central region is acclaimed of higher percentage of political attrition, and regional leaders who initially supported the handshake are gradually toning down not to lose their seats in 2022.
When Raila Odinga was taking the illegal oath early 2018, he was a bitter man. He knew he would never rule Kenya due to a mendacity perpetrated by certain leaders that their communities might be targeted under his presidency.
The thrust for the oath came from Raila’s supporters who were tired of voting for him and losing the target. Raila knew the repercussions of such oath. Miguna Miguna coerced Raila not to fail his supporters and attend the Uhuru Park event.
Uhuru Park was full as Raila Odinga’s convoy entered the ground amidst thunderous applause from supporters. Flanked by Counsels Miguna Miguna and TJ Kajwang’ Raila did the unthinkable and was sworn in as ‘people’s presidency’.
The treasonable act saw the deportation of Miguna to Canada while TJ Kajwang was charged with treason. Raila wasn’t implicated in any offense as a section of political leaders cited bias.
The former Prime Minister was contesting President Uhuru Kenyatta’s win and had called for countrywide boycott on products from Companies such as Brookside and Safaricom.
Brookside is a Company associated with the Kenyatta family. So, Raila rallied his supporters not to purchase products associated with Uhuru. Safaricom suffered the same wrath on pretext of aiding in electoral theft.
The enraged Odinga had lost presidency for the fifth time. He lost in 1997 to Daniel Arap Moi, 2007 to Mwai Kibaki and 2013, 2017A and 2017B to Uhuru Kenyatta.
According to Raila, democracy was on trial on account that the electoral body had lost credibility. The doyen of opposition politics organized countrywide street protests denouncing Uhuru’s presidency and demanded a national dialogue.
Raila had successfully petitioned the 2017 presidential results that saw the nullification of the outcome. Former Chief Justice David Maraga made history as the first CJ to annul presidential results.
Just like his father the first vice president Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Raila inherited a political curse where Luos were perceived as adversaries of the Agikuyu community. That’s why it is hard selling Raila in Central Kenya.
The hostility trickled from the days of Jomo down to the Uhuru era. It took the intervention of Ida Odinga and Mama Ngina Kenyatta to bridge the political gap between the Kenyattas’ and the Odingas’ in what culminated to the famous handshake.
To avert further ugly political confrontation, Uhuru and Raila close ranks and chose to work together for the sake of Kenya.
When the region thought BBI was an indirect endorsement of Raila to succeed him, Uhuru was forced to convene a regional meeting attended by several Mt Kenya leaders. DP Ruto allies were not invited in the meeting.
As Uhuru plans to influence his succession, Raila is out of the equation something that has thrown the ODM leaders support base in disarray.
Senate Majority Leader James Orengo once questioned the manner in which a cabal of Civil Servants with proximity to State Power was using government machinery to sabotage the handshake and advance 2022 succession.
Facing Mt Kenya
With Raila out of the equation, President Uhuru Kenyatta through Mt Kenya elders selected national assembly speaker Justin Muturi to be among the options for presidential endorsement.
Unlike his predecessor Mwai Kibaki, Uhuru plans to remain active politically even after retirement. Uhuru wants somebody from a tribe that has never led to govern Kenya but doesn’t power to slip off the mountain.
When Uhuru Kenyatta lost presidency in 2002, he chose to shelf his presidential ambition and supported Mwai Kibaki. Uhuru left Raila even after working together in the orange movement, a campaign, that thrashed the government supported 2005 referendum to change the Constitution of Kenya.
Raila Odinga was Kibaki’s major competitor and prominent political families under the fear that Raila would disown them their illegally acquired assets coalesced to preclude a Raila presidency. Kenyatta, Moi and Nyachae families combined efforts to block Raila’s ascendance to power.
Uhuru supported Kibaki in what prevented a split of the kikuyu votes that would have given Raila an easy ride to State House.
How Raila was branded a Kalenjin Enemy
When the Waki envelope was made public and linked Ruto to the 2007-08 political violence, supporters of the deputy president from Rift Valley accused Raila for betraying him.
Why Raila’s name wasn’t on the list kept many minds boggling. Something was not adding up, as Uhuru and Ruto close ranks. The duo had been charged at the International Criminal Court (ICC) over their involvement in skirmishes that led to over 1500 Kenyans death and scores of others injured.
In 2013, Ruto led his Kalenjin tribe out of ODM in protest pegged on Mau Forest evictions and supported Uhuru’s presidency. It was believed that Raila used his position as Prime Minister to evict Mau residents – majorly Kalenjins from their normal habitat.
Kalenjin leaders who advanced Raila’s cause lost their political seats. Among those who lost included: Henry Kosgey, Dr. Sally Kosgey and Frankline Bett.
In a tribal rebuttal, ODM chased Magerer Langat from their headquarters on allegations that he was a Ruto mole and was leaking vital party information to detractors.
Similarly, North Rift region followed the trails of Central Kenya in demonizing Raila.
Why Jaramogi never became a president in 1992
Ford Kenya and Ford Asili was hived off from original Ford. Ford was formed in 1991, immediately after the repeal of Section 2(A) of Kenya’s constitution.
Ford was formed by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Masinde Muliro, Ahmed Bamahriz, Phlip Gachoka and Joseph Martin Shikuku. Kenneth Matiba was to join the party after release, but he chose not to work with Jaramogi.
The Party disintegrated due to disagreement over the mode of choice of Party officials. Kenneth Matiba and Martin Shikuku found Ford Asili and the party came second in the 1992 presidential elections.
Jaramogi salivated to be a president even just for a day, but that never happened and he died in 1994. His political friend Muliro had passed on in 1992 and never witnessed the first multiparty elections.
Divisions in opposition granted Moi renewed lifeline in office as Matiba contested the outcome. Ford Kenya which had majority MPs in Parliament took the role of official opposition under Jaramogi’s leadership.
Comments
Post a Comment