Why Raila is best for Kenya

[mkurugenzi]

OMWENGA: Why this is Raila’s moment
The ODM leader has been shortchanged several times and now deserves to be Kenya's president
In Summary
• Raila has now put in place a coalition of parties that is destined to sweep the country come August 9.
• There cannot be a more befitting and apt outcome to cap Raila’s journey than to see him being sworn as the fifth president.


When LDP leader Raila Odinga said Kibaki tosha in 2002, it was understood by all involved that his MoU with Narc presidential candidate and now retired President Mwai Kibaki would be implemented.

As part of that implementation, Raila was poised to become prime minister.

That did not come to pass. Instead, we had the showdown between Kibaki and Raila forces, which scuttled Kibaki’s plan to impose constitutional reforms that Raila and those behind him did not believe went far enough.


This led to the emergence of ODM as a dominant party, which objective people cannot disagree it floored Kibaki’s PNU in the 2007 general election. What ensued after that election were the darkest days of Kenya’s history and we can all agree never again.

In the 2013 showdown pitting TNA’s Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila of Cord, I contest there was a winner of 50%+1 of the vote, and as I have said repeatedly, had there been a run-off as it should have been the case, Uhuru would have cleanly won.

This is because Raila simply did not have the kind of campaign structure and execution he did in 2007 and there were individuals who let him down either intentionally or otherwise.

Aware of this, those who do the vote counting decided to do away with holding a run-off, as they, too, were surprised at how badly Cord performed, given the high expectations.

That fate was sealed when the Supreme Court under then led by Chief Justice Willy Mutunga tossed Raila’s petition and that of AfriCOG. It was the Supreme Court’s worst decision and will remain so but even so, it is unlikely Raila would have won in a run-off.

The Supreme Court decision only served to deepen the divide in the country. In 2017, the Supreme Court redeemed itself through the historic nullification of the presidential election, this time under the leadership of now retired Chief Justice David Maraga.

Raila pulled out of the re-run ordered by the Supreme Court, saying the flawed election system was in place, and it would have been an exercise in futility were he to participate.


Uhuru went on to cruise to a second term but under circumstances that put the country on a brink of being broken apart, with Raila supporters calling for secession.

This effort was preceded by the swearing-in of Raila as the “people’s president,” a move many did not support given its implications.

Breaking up the country on these grounds would have been a terrible thing and so the powers that be prevailed upon Uhuru and Raila to find a resolution of the crisis short of what many Raila supporters wanted.

It is for that reason that we had the historic handshake of March 9, 2018 between Uhuru and Raila.

The handshake stabilized and continues to hold the country together.

Though dead for now, there is every expectation the BBI will be revived in the next administration for the Supreme Court only took issue with how the initiative was pursued and not its substance of it. In fact, the Supreme Court agreed with Uhuru and Raila in five of the seven points on appeal.

Raila has now put in place a coalition of parties that is destined to sweep the country come August 9. There cannot be a more befitting and apt outcome to cap Raila’s journey than to see him being sworn as the fifth president.

It will be his moment, finally.

 

[mkurugenzi]

GINA DIN-KARIUKI: Why Raila is best for Kenya
Kenya needs Raila, if it is to achieve its promise and ‘pull together’ in the spirit of our founding Harambee
In Summary
• In a few months, we will be heading to the polls again to elect the fifth president of Kenya.
• I ask, “Who would be the best President to advance the cause of women” in what is still largely a society favouring men.

Many young people forget Raila Odinga gave people courage to walk away from the then powerful Kanu government, and his ‘Kibaki Tosha’ endorsement propelled Mwai Kibaki to the presidency.

It is easy to forget that when Kibaki got into a car crash, Raila marshalled him to hospital and ensured the campaign continued like clockwork. He famously said, “Our captain is injured but we shall continue and win the match for our captain”. And he delivered.

Raila delivered on his promise of a new constitution with a devolved government, which we now celebrate as a key pillar of our government structure.


In a few months, we will be heading to the polls again to elect the fifth president of Kenya.

The question is always ‘who would make the best president for our country?’

As a woman and a working mother, I ask, “Who would be the best President to advance the cause of women” in what is still largely a society favouring men.

Having worked closely with and for Kenyan presidents, I have had a privileged view of what it required to operate from the seat of power and away from the cameras. Working with Kibaki on his presidential campaign in 1992, I saw his no-nonsense practical approach and experienced his dry sense of humor, carried through to when he took office as President. These qualities shaped his presidency and defined how he approached government delivery.

For President Uhuru Kenyatta, despite his privileged upbringing, he has always been charming, charismatic, patient, and down to earth. He has a way of making people comfortable.

But one name has always eluded State House: Odinga. We owe Raila for his magnanimity, his moral courage, his resilience, his patience and his passion, for his charisma and his common touch, for his political brilliance and above all his ability for forgiveness and reconciliation, even when he has been treated badly. It is due to him that Kenya has, on several occasions, avoided a tribal bloodbath.

Devolution has brought government and service delivery closer to the people. No one has been more instrumental in pushing for fairness and equity, and in calling for a more unified nation based on these values than Raila.


I have seen him and Mama Ida up close during the various tough periods when he was incarcerated and through difficult election cycles. What is remarkable is that he has not changed what he stands for. Neither has he stopped agitating for the things he believes we need as a nation, such as hoping for a more cohesive and united Kenya, less polarized on tribal lines.

For women, Raila is an ally in his commitment to building relationships and understanding the social privilege conferred by his gender. As someone who has worked closely with him, he is genuine in his commitment to ensuring gender equality, and fully understands the responsibility to ensure a more level playing field.

He is a feminist. While we are yet to have a woman President, I believe no one would be better for women in Kenya than Raila. Lest we forget, Raila supported Keroche Breweries when very few wanted to publicly be associated with a local brewing entity.

A man who’s married to an equally strong woman in Ida, he has always wanted to see women succeed.

Never one to run away from responsibility and accountability, it is a matter of public record that in government, he always had the best run ministries and delivered on his promises. Raila planned and executed the much needed road bypasses network during Kibaki’s government. Even his rivals commend him for his hard work in government, when politics is put aside and he delivers on the task for the sake of all our people.

During these trying times, Kenya needs Raila, if it is to achieve its promise and ‘pull together’ in the spirit of our founding Harambee. In Raila Odinga, this nation will be well served equally and equitably.