By Prof Peter Okoth
I guess that this is the question many are struggling with currently. Yes — but why? The answer is simple: it takes a giant to create a political colossus, the kind that Baba Raila created. Raila Amolo Odinga wasn’t just a name — and that is what is confusing many.
Raila was a political student of his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, President Jomo Kenyatta, Tom Mboya, and many other leaders from pre-independence to the present day. He travelled the world and understood global politics, and knew many global politicians personally — and how they governed their countries.
He knew the Kenyan struggle for independence and understood what brought independence to Kenya. He knew hate because he suffered it and was abhorrent of it. He persuaded his political enemies to walk the middle ground and have the country’s interest as the guiding principle to guide decisions.
He knew that political competition is real and was always prepared for it. He learnt how to dust his coat and move on after a bruising political contest. He knew that elections were necessary in any democracy and that there would always be winners and losers. The end should never be bloody.
He was calculated and always took a path whose end he followed to completion.
Raila knew how his birthplace denied him the presidency — utter discrimination without any justification, despite everyone else knowing the truth. He was a master mobiliser and a friend of many, both young and old. He helped many through their education and political journey. He gave more to other communities than his own and, apart from being a Pan-Africanist, was also an ardent nationalist.
These values form the guiding principles that should steer the ODM Party — not raw hatred nor unfounded rhetoric about this or that leader. Raila knew that it took time to learn government and governance, and that only when ready could a leader govern a country into prosperity.
Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and William Samoei Ruto realised that Raila was a good political father figure and a great mentor. ODM must find a person or a group of people dedicated to its success through active conversation and collective reasoning for the common good and in the interests of the people.
Like all political parties, it must have its grassroots support bases guarded and protected. This is realised through engagement and consensus building on issues and by whoever represents those people and their interests.
Lastly, every political party wants to govern and win power. Their vision and mission for the country must be based on the needs of the people, and more so for the youth: give them education and jobs. Create industries in every county that offer employment to more than one million people every year. Give them affordable and functional health systems. Make clean water available.
It must be understood that ODM is a political organ and not an administrative institution. Yes indeed — it requires structures and systems, but those are supported by human charisma and character. Every leader must know that they have more responsibility than personal interests.
The human beings left in ODM must use Raila’s language and syntax the same way they do in Tanzania with Mwalimu Kambarage Julius Nyerere. Otherwise, any institution could be branded as a political party and attract political support — but this only happens in textbooks.
What we should do is write a concise, small, thin reference compendium on Raila’s perceptions of certain issues that everyone who wants to lead a political party should learn from. The entire ODM body should always remain alive to those tenets and values.
I like what CS Mbadi said at the funeral of Baba: there is a Joshua out here, and there are Aarons amongst those left behind. It might be difficult to know who they are today, but time shall allow it to happen organically and depending on need.
Most important of all — gather all, scatter none.
