Raila Amolo Odinga was not perfect, far from it, but he left a rich legacy. We can’t talk of democracy without mentioning his name. Essentially, the D in Kenya’s democracy belongs to Raila.
It is easy to take for granted the freedoms we enjoy today that Raila fought for through blood, sweat and tears to wrestle it from the clutches of the dictatorship that enveloped the country since Independence.
He lost many of his young and active years incarcerated by a regime that did not want to hear the truth that he spoke. A regime that knew nothing but to muzzle, murder and kill anyone strong enough to highlight their pitfalls and weaknesses.
Without the likes of Raila and many pro-democracy enthusiasts, too long a list to mention, we as a country would not have made the strides that we have. That economically, we are better and more open for business like never before. Our democracy may be chequered and blood-stained but it has become the envy of the world.
Kenya was the first to annul an election that was littered with irregularities. Many African countries, even those just across the border who have seen the same face leading them for centuries, are puzzled as to how we could hold together a country through the most hostile voting system and still come out unscathed.
The democracy Raila fought for led to a more independent Judiciary that Kenyans from all walks of life could turn to and be hopeful they will get justice. Nothing is perfect and the road to success is long but had someone with a vision like Raila not stood up and fought for equality and liberty for Kenyans, we wouldn’t be harbouring the wish to soar to the skies.
The seed to success for Kenya was planted by Raila’s quest for democracy, and it comes with responsibilities and a sense of duty for current and future politicians to realise his vision and that of the country. Politicians have sadly become the biggest let-down. Those celebrating him today and crying crocodile tears are the same people who blocked his ascension to the presidency not once but three times—even when it was glaringly obvious that he had won!
The democratic Kenya that Raila fought for did not envisage erosion of human rights and backsliding to the dark days in Kenya where dissent was muzzled and got you killed for. Kenya is experiencing the same things now that pro-democracy activists of the 1990s put their lives on the line for. Extrajudicial killings, corruption, ethnocentrism and reduction of civic space have made a resurgence. These are all the ills that Raila stood against.
Many politicians took to the podium to eulogise Raila. The same people who sent innocent Kenyans to early graves for standing up for their rights. The same people who fail to treat the sick as they loot their funds. The same people who embezzle taxpayers money and let corruption fester, are today praising a man who envisaged a country of saints but not of thieves.
Raila is gone, but what are we going to make of current politicians whose first thought was for political survival rather than truly observing the seven days of mourning in honour of a man they allegedly revere and respect. What are we to make of politicians who love selfies even at funerals?
If you came with a personal photographer to be photographed posing beside Raila’s body, I am afraid you did not come to mourn but show disrespect. Treating Raila’s funeral and body like a tourist site is not a way to show respect.
To paraphrase Shakespeare in the play Julius Caesar, have politicians come to mourn or praise Raila? This line by Anthony during Caesar’s funeral was said in irony to highlight Caesar’s ambitions.
The flipside of it, and in relation to Kenya, talks to the ambitions of the politicians who showed up at Raila’s funeral. This was not to mourn but to advance their political careers. It is no wonder that even before rigor mortis set in Raila’s body, succession talks took precedence over mourning him. That politics played centre stage. I believe even a die-hard politician like Raila deserved a sombre, reflective and befitting funeral free of political encumbrances.
The man we knew as Raila, Agwambo, Baba is gone! He took his verve, smile, sense of fun and duty to the country with him. He left a legacy that will be unmatched. His shoes will forever be too big for many Kenyan politicians to fill. His legacy is richer than anything any Kenyan will ever achieve—democracy and freedoms Raila fought for no money can buy.
Kenyan politics have in the recent past, been about chasing individual goals. Pursuit of legacy is far from the minds of many of our politicians. How are they going to be remembered? Many risk leaving behind a fractured, robbed and dissonant population. Raila has left an indelible and rich legacy, what will ours be?
