Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has hinted that he is likely to serve only one term if elected next year to succeed his foe-turned-collaborator President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Mr Odinga said he had decided to throw his hat in the ring in response to calls from his supporters during the Azimio la Umoja conventions that started soon after the Court of Appeal nullified the BBI-propelled Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, 2020.
Mr Odinga spoke in a wide-ranging interview on Citizen TV on Wednesday. Asked if he was ready to serve just one term due to his age, he said he would oblige if his supporters say so.
“If I just serve for one term, fine, so what? I have no problem serving for just a term if elected President come next year. Can the same question be put to US President Joe Biden? He is older than me,” she said.
His remarks come after President Kenyatta’s key lieutenants, led by Jubilee vice-chairperson David Murathe, said Mr Odinga’s presidency will be what they called a “Mandela moment”.
Mr Murathe said recently that it was time to reward the former Prime Minister for all his struggles and sacrifices to promote democracy in Kenya.
“We think it’s time Kenyans rewarded the years of struggle of Raila Amollo Odinga. They owe it to him. It’s like Mandela, and 2022 will be a Mandela moment,” he said.
“And we would also like to tell him (Raila) to be a transitional President who will then nurture the young generation to take over in 2027.”
Nominated MP Maina Kamanda also said: “Raila is not just a Kenyan leader, he is respected worldwide. What the President said to me is a pointer … Raila has sacrificed a lot for the betterment of this country, therefore, 2022 will be a Mandela moment.”
And yesterday, the convener of the Mt Kenya Focus Group, Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu, told the Nation that it would be unfair to ask Mr Odinga to serve only one term, arguing that it should be his decision.
“I don’t think there is ever an elected leader who is ever guaranteed of serving more than one term. A second term is based on how you perform during your first term, and whether you want to do another. Raila might be thinking he wants to do one term and do it well, which is his right,” Mr Wambugu said.
Running mate
ODM chairman John Mbadi, who is also Suba South MP, on Thursday told the Nation that leaving a legacy is not determined by the number of years one serves. The decision on how long Mr Odinga will serve if elected is his alone, he said.
“Looking at Raila in history and how he has struggled for this country to get to where it is now, I think (he) is not someone who is being driven by power and money,” Mr Mbadi said.
“He wants to cement a legacy and, therefore, it is upon him as an individual to decide how long he can serve so as to leave a rich legacy. Remember Mandela only served for five years and he left a rich legacy that is incomparable to no one else’s in (South Africa).”
The issue, he said, had not featured in the ongoing talks between Jubilee and ODM on a coalition, noting the negotiations are not structured like those between The National Alliance (TNA) and the United Republican Party (URP) nearly 10 years ago.
“Jubilee has not given us any conditions. The talks are very productive and what we will be engaging on soon is who will deputise Raila. Mistakes which have been made in the past in forming a coalition have been discussing future elections more than the immediate one and it is even unbiblical,” said Mr Mbadi.
In his TV interview, Mr Odinga said “it is premature right now to talk about a running mate”.
Mr Odinga first ran for the top seat in 1997 on the National Development Party (NDP) ticket and finished third after the late President Daniel Arap Moi (Kanu), who won, and Mwai Kibaki (Democratic Party), who came second.
Former vice-president Michael Kijana Wamalwa of Ford Kenya was fourth with 505,704 votes, while Charity Kaluki Ngilu (now Kitui governor) was fifth with 488,600 votes on a Social Democratic Party ticket.
In 2002, Mr Odinga teamed up with Wamalwa, Ms Ngilu and a host of other Kanu stalwarts and rallied behind Mr Kibaki, who flew the National Alliance Rainbow Coalition (Narc) flag, ending Kanu’s 40-year rule.
In 2007, Mr Odinga, running on an ODM ticket, made his second stab at the top seat and was declared first runner-up to Mr Kibaki of the Party of National Unity (PNU), in one of the country’s most controversial elections.
When Mr Kibaki was declared winner, spontaneous violence and protests broke out across the country, leading to the month-long negotiations that resulted in the creation of the Grand Coalition Government with the ODM boss as the Prime Minister.
Supreme Court
The head of the defunct Electoral Commission of Kenya, Samuel Kivuitu, declared Mr Kibaki winner with 4,584,721 votes against Mr Odinga’s 4,352,993 Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya (ODM-K) candidate Kalonzo Musyoka received 879,903.
Come 2013, Mr Odinga again joined forces with other politicians, including Mr Musyoka, and formed the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (Cord) on whose ticket he vied for the top seat, coming second to Uhuru Kenyatta, then TNA.
Mr Odinga received 5,340,546 votes against Mr Kenyatta’s 6,173,433, while the then United Democratic Forum party (UDF) leader Musalia Mudavadi managed 483,981.
In his fourth stab at the top seat in 2017, the ODM leader once again came second to President Kenyatta of Jubilee, an election he successfully challenged in the Supreme Court.
He had received 6,822,812 votes against President Kenyatta’s 8,223,369, results that were annulled by the then Chief Justice David Maraga-led apex court on the grounds that the election was marred by “massive irregularities and illegalities in the transmission of results which affected the integrity of the poll”.
In the TV interview, Mr Odinga said he does not need President Kenyatta’s endorsement but only his vote, noting that he will concede defeat if he loses fairly.
“I do not want the President’s endorsement; I only want his vote. He does not have to endorse me and I am not a project. I do not want to be seen as a project. I want to run as Raila Odinga the way I have run and if the President offers his vote, I will be extremely grateful,” he said.
“As a democrat, you must accept to win or lose. Losing is part of the game. If you lose fairly in a contest, you have to accept. No one should have worries about that.”
Political analysts argue that now that the former premier has declared officially that he will be in the presidential race, the herculean task ahead of him could jeopardise his State House journey if not well managed.
He faces several challenges: His old allies are now his rivals in the 2022 race; he faces a formidable foe in Mr Ruto, who is making inroads in ODM strongholds; and he must shake off the establishment tag.
Garissa Town MP Aden Duale, who was removed last year as majority leader in the National Assembly for associating with Dr Ruto, said the race is between the DP, supported by “hustlers”, and Mr Odinga, whom he described as “a government project”.
“The 2022 race is like day and night. On our side, the party is the United Democratic Movement (UDA) and the agenda is to elevate Kenyans while on the other side is that government project. Project of Uhuru Kenyatta, deep state and system,” Mr Duale said. BY DAILY NATION