By Anderson Ojwang
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has finally found himself in a precarious political situation and could be running behind and against time to stall the emerging dispensation.
On Monday, in Machakos, during the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Parliamentary Group meeting (PG), Raila warned his party members not to engage in issues that have not been discussed by the party and that ODM could present a presidential candidate.
“I agree with the presentation that we must look at what you have signed. We must remain as ODM. We have agreed that we will work together up to 2027.
We have not passed any resolution as a party to say how we are going to go into elections in 2027. So, where you are, don’t commit the party to something that has not been discussed.
Let those things be discussed first. We are ODM, and who told you ODM will not have a candidate in 2027?
First think as ODM. We have a clear plan that we have negotiated and agreed on. Let us continue to implement that plan. Other decisions we will take when that time comes,” he said.
But during the recent burial of Mama Phoebe Asiyo in Karachuonyo, Raila challenged the opposition for a duel at the ballot and said that their alliance with President William Ruto will go beyond the 2027 elections.
“I want to tell the naysayers to give us space and room. Judge us in 2027. And we have said this is going to remain in place up to 2027 and after that, we will see where we go.
You are saying one term. So what? It is the Kenyans who will decide the terms, and we will see where we want to go. I am confident when that time comes we will face Kenyans squarely and tell them why we did what we had to do and where we want to go.
You will tell your agenda and we will tell Kenyans our agenda, and we will see who the Kenyans will trust. I am not worried about those making noise. It is like a frog croaking that doesn’t scare the cows from drinking water. They will actually drink the water.
We will be able to move beyond 2027. I am confident we will move beyond 2027. Nobody should try to threaten us. We are Kenyans. Don’t go and say that Kenya is sectionalized. We are from the Coast, we are from the Lake, we are from the Mountain, we are from the Valley. This is unacceptable. We are Kenyans. Every Kenyan matters,” he said.
Now Raila is staring at a stark reality: his political backyard has accepted and moved on with the fact that he will not be a presidential candidate in the 2027 elections, and this has opened the space.
This situation has stirred a new political dispensation in Nyanza and most parts of the country where ODM is the significant party, and the scramble for a piece of the cake has begun in earnest.
The failure by ODM to draw a huge number of aspirants for the party nominations in Ugunja and Kasipul respectively, and the high number of candidates contesting on independent tickets and other political parties, is some of the hard reality that Raila has to face.
At the weekend, Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi told his Suba constituents that he will not contest for any seat but will campaign for President William Ruto’s re-election.
“I know you have heard that in 2027, I will not contest for any seat. I want you to support me so that after 2027, I remain in this position I currently hold. For me to hold this office, we must re-elect President Ruto,” he said.
Raila is also staring at internal hemorrhage in his party as top officials claw at each other, leaving it in a precarious position and making it vulnerable.
In a recent Citizen TV interview, ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna criticized and dismissed the broad-based government and President Ruto’s administration, claiming the memorandum of understanding between ODM and UDA was dead.
Sifuna maintained that UDA has failed to implement the 10-point agenda as agreed with ODM, adding that it was time the orange outfit severed its links with the government.
Despite criticism from party leaders, Raila stood by him, saying, “Sifuna has a right to express his opinion. It is not a must for people to have the same opinion, and we must defend the right to speak. If Sifuna has spoken, he has the right to do so, and if one feels they have a different opinion from what Sifuna is saying, then they should be free to say it. That is democracy.”
But Oburu Odinga responded to Raila and Sifuna: “When Raila talked in Kakamega, he said Sifuna also has rights to express his personal views. I also have my right to make my views.
And my views are that the arrangements we have with the Kenya Kwanza government is an arrangement which was mandated by the party ODM. If you are opposed to ODM and you want to bolt out, could you kindly put it officially to the party?
I cannot allow someone to abuse us. Can someone tell Sifuna to ask Ababu Namwamba, who was a powerful ODM secretary general, what happened to him? You are just a balloon.”
ODM National Chairperson Gladys Wanga said: “I am the national chairperson of ODM. Our leader is Raila, we know him and he has never lied to us. In March this year, we went to KICC and signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for a broad-based government.
We are in a broad-based government and as the national chairperson, I want to say here, someone talking contrary to the party position is not talking on behalf of the party.
He will need to explain to the party who has sent him.”
The clock may be ticking faster for Raila to galvanize the support base and party ahead of the 2027 elections.
