It was on the last day of October 2026 in Ukunda; the old cashew trees still stood across Kwale, grown less precious in an age that rewards artificial intelligence (AI), finance, and services more than crops, and far away in Nairobi’s moneyed political circles, Edwin Sifuna’s supporters were anxious, wondering if he would succeed.
Like many Sifuna rallies, the Ukunda one was overexcited — the humming growing louder with time, like a rising, swelling, a noise threatening to spill — telegraphing a sense of festivity. I wonder if in the sea of faces, in the tilt and heave of the crowd, he also saw the absence of one — his late party leader Raila Odinga’s face — a figure lurking behind the shadows, a long strip of absence in a dark reflecting glass.
Since Sifuna entered the scene, Kenyan politics seems to have taken on a different shape — quick unsheathing, the glint of something sharp — a stage for a long-intended final act, threatening to topple the political status quo. Sifuna’s quest for the presidency has one of the hallmarks of literature, as pointed out by Leo Tolstoy, who wrote that “all great literature is one of two stories: a man goes on a journey, or a stranger comes to town.”
Like literary heroes, Sifuna is a man going on a journey, and he reminds one of the most interesting classic stories of impossible quests. In ancient Greek literature, the story of Jason and the Golden Fleece is a legendarily impossible quest, one of the bawdiest, bloodiest, and most boisterous expeditions of all time.
Sifuna rallies coast for 2027
Jason was the rightful heir to the throne of Iolcus in Greece. However, his uncle, King Pelias, had seized the throne. When Jason grew up and returned to claim what was his, Pelias pretended to agree on one condition: Jason had to fetch the Golden Fleece.
The Golden Fleece was the golden wool of a magical ram. It was kept in the distant kingdom of Colchis, on the eastern edge of the Black Sea, and was guarded by a dangerous dragon. Pelias chose this task because he expected Jason to never return.
To gain the Golden Fleece and reclaim his kingdom, young Jason assembled a crew of famous heroes known as the Argonauts and sailed aboard the ship Argo. His dream team included Atalanta, the most famous female Greek warrior; Theseus, legendary hero of Athens; Orpheus, famed musician; Bellerophon, slayer of the Chimera; and the great Heracles himself, the most renowned of all heroes. The Argonauts were the ultimate elite force, and the dangers awaiting them were dire: the Clashing Rocks, treacherous nymphs, ravenous Harpies, fire-breathing bulls, skeleton warriors, and, of course, the fearful dragon.
After a long and dangerous voyage, they reached Colchis. There, King Aeëtes refused to hand over the fleece. Instead, he ordered Jason to complete a series of impossible tasks. Jason had to harness fire-breathing bulls, plough a field with them, sow the field with dragon’s teeth, and then defeat the armed warriors that sprang from the ground.
Jason succeeded only because Aeëtes’ daughter, Medea, a powerful sorceress, fell in love with him and helped him. She also helped him steal the fleece by putting its dragon guardian to sleep.
Jason escaped with the Golden Fleece and Medea, pursued across the sea by the furious king. Eventually he returned to Greece with the fleece, completing the quest that everyone thought would kill him.
Nairobi Senator and The Equitable Party (TEP) leader Edwin Sifuna during a joint media engagement at Four Points By Sheraton Nairobi Hurlingham on October 9, 2026.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
Sifuna’s and Jason’s quests have many similarities. Like Jason, Sifuna is reaching for a prize that many consider beyond him. The fleece was guarded by distance, by kings, and by monsters. Likewise, the presidency is guarded by established political heavyweights and the powerful electoral machines they command.
Also, neither man could make the voyage alone. Jason assembled the Argonauts. Sifuna is building political structures and recruiting allies to support his new political movement. And for both, reaching the destination will not bring the prize but a succession of seemingly impossible tasks. Jason had to yoke fire-breathing bulls. Sifuna has to build a national profile.
Both, too, were tested long before the larger quest began. Jason’s voyage was beset by danger and delay before he ever sighted Colchis. Sifuna’s political career has known its own hazards: early electoral defeat, bruising internal party battles and, finally, his removal as secretary-general of ODM. Each setback was a narrow passage between rocks that might have crushed him.
The late Raila Odinga (right) with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna at Capitol Hill in Nairobi on February 2, 2024.
Photo credit: Sila Kiplagat | Nation Media Group
And both depend on alliances. Jason would never have obtained the fleece without Medea. No Kenyan presidential hopeful can succeed without strategic coalitions. And both are driven as much by belief as by probability. Jason sailed because he believed the impossible might be possible. Sifuna’s candidacy rests on the conviction that political upsets can happen even when conventional wisdom says otherwise.
In both stories, the journey itself creates the legend. Jason was famous long before he returned with the fleece; the voyage made him. In the same way, whether Sifuna wins or loses, his attempt to leap from senator to serious presidential contender is already shaping his political identity.
Only time will tell if Sifuna can pull a victory as big as the one Jason pulled by getting the Golden Fleece. Will Sifuna get the Golden Fleece? Only the 2027 elections will answer that question.
