News of Raila working with Ruto first came to light back in 2023 during the finance bill maandamano that rocked the country. The truce was said to have been negotiated by former Nigerian president Obasanjo and was sealed in Mombasa.
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| President William Ruto and Raila Odinga at a past event. (Courtesy) |
Suddenly, Ruto came out in a press conference stating that they would be forming a National Dialogue committee a fact that was later supported by Raila in a press conference.
Fast forward to 2024, and following a sustained maandamano organized by Gen Z, president Ruto has named four ranking members into cabinet. The four include Deputy party leader Ali Hassan Joho who was named CS nominee for Mining, Wycliffe Oparanya, also a deputy party leader ODM was named CS nominee for Cooperatives, ODM Chairman John Mbadi was named CS Treasury while ODM Minority leader in parliament Opiyo Wandayi was named CS Energy. All the four dockets are considered key in any administration.
ODM leader Raila Odinga has since in vain tried to dissociate his party from the purpoted coalition. It is evident that the names of the four were forwarded by Raila himself and he has since given them his blessings to work with President Ruto.
The actions have split Azimio coalition which was a combination of parties that had unsuccessfully tried to ascend to power in the 2022 general elections. As a result, Narc Kenya, led by Martha Karua has formally written to the registrationpolitical parties seeking to severe ties with the Azimio coalition.
ODM, is the largest party in the coalition and by default has the bigger bargaining chip.
AU Chair Post
Raila Odinga yesterday officially signed his papers declaring an interest in running for the AU chair seat come February 2025. Raila signed his documents while flanked by the PS Foreign affairs an indication that the government fully supports his campaign.
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| President William Ruto, Raila Odinga and President Yoweri Museveni of Uganda. The two Kenyan leaders had visited the Uganda president at his home |
President Ruto is on record campaigning for Raila Odinga. He has invited him in various functions graced by regional leaders to allow him campaign for the post which is competitive.
A Raila Odinga win at the African stage could be a blessing for president Ruto, who would have cemented his legacy as a winner in competitive politics. This would also mean that Raila would limit his political involvement locally and would be busy working at his AU offices at Adis Ababa.
Opposition Politics
Some critics of Raila have lamented that his alliance with the government would be inconsiderate to his support base. However, others have opined that Raila is not a permanent member of the opposition and that the mantle can be taken over by someone else. This is especially true to his Nyanza support base which feels that they have been in opposition for quite a while.
Odinga has attempted to clinch the presidency five times and there's a feeling that the 2022 one was his last Stab.
If he succeeded in the AU quest, then it would be a momentous fit and would serve as his official exit from local politics.
Baba, it is your time to shine. Do not be afraid to work with Ruto. You worked together back in 2007, why not 2024 moving forward?
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