President William Ruto (left) and opposition leader Raila Odinga in Kisozi, Uganda, on February 26, 2024.
Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has emerged as one of President William Ruto’s closest confidants in the wake of the ongoing anti-government protests.
Despite the President declining to assent to the contentious Finance Bill 2024 that was the trigger for the recent protests, the demonstrators, comprising largely of youthful Kenyans of Generation Z, have continued to hold protests countrywide pushing for his exit.
The month-long mass demonstrations, however, appear to have solidified the political rapprochement between the President and the veteran opposition chief.
Dr Ruto and Mr Odinga are currently consulting on the formation of a “broad-based government”, euphemism for a government of national unity, which they see as the best way to calm the prevailing unrest.
The two leaders have been working together on Mr Odinga’s quest for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission, but the recent turn of events in the country have cemented their relationship even further.
Political allies of the two have indicated that Mr Odinga meets Dr Ruto frequently. Their discussions are mainly centred on a plan to pacify the country. They have also discussed the security agencies’ response to the protesters, contrasting this with previous mass demonstrations.
The consultations partly informed the Wednesday evening statement by acting Inspector-General of Police Douglas Kanja banning protests in Nairobi’s CBD, being the exact script that former President Uhuru Kenyatta used to subdue Mr Odinga’s deadly protests after the disputed 2017 elections.
However, his close allies have insisted that the ODM leader has not held private meetings with the President at State House, Nairobi, being wary of the possible political ramifications for the opposition leader before the formal signing of a cooperation pact.
Speaking at the weekend in Kakamega, Mr Odinga appeared to defend himself against claims of flirting with President Ruto.
“When I was called for the signing of the IEBC (Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission) Bill recently, they wanted me to go to State House but I declined. They then proposed Harambee House, the President’s office, which again I said I would not go and suggested a public space. When they proposed KICC, I obliged,” Mr Odinga said as he sought to defend himself against claims of secret State House visits.
ODM co-deputy party leader Wycliffe Oparanya, in an interview, told the Nation that the party has taken the position to engage with the government as a responsibility to enhance stability in the country and not to undermine it.
“Staying away would amount to dereliction of duty at a time the country is yearning for engagement,” Mr Oparanya said on Thursday, July 18.
ODM National Chairman John Mbadi said the party has a choice to “work with Ruto for the long-term journey of better governance in our country”.
“We cannot force anyone to dialogue, it would have been good if we went as Azimio (la Umoja One Kenya) but if other partners don’t want to, then we will go as a party,” said Mr Mbadi.
But even as the two work on a “broad-based government,” as suggested by President Ruto, their efforts are already facing strong opposition from civil society and a section of the political class, who have accused them of stifling human rights.
Despite the disapprovals of their unity, Mr Odinga, for instance, appears to have taken a bold step, even ready to shed off his political allies in the Azimio. The key partners have vehemently opposed any possible working arrangement with the government.
On Thursday, July 18, the Azimio brigade, including Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua, Wiper’s Kalonzo Musyoka, DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa, Charity Ngilu (Narc), Peter Munya (PNU) and Jubilee Secretary-General Jeremiah Kioni held a meeting at a city hotel where they reiterated their position “to stand with the people”.
Ms Karua wrote: “(We’re) Definitely not boarding,” in an apparent reference to Mr Odinga’s calls for dialogue and possible entry of his ODM brigade into a working relationship with Dr Ruto’s administration.
Suba South MP Caroli Omondi said there is no way some of the Azimio leaders can stop Mr Odinga from engaging with the President since they did not deliver him victory in the 2022 elections.
“Martha Karua cannot stop Raila Odinga from speaking to Ruto. Her own polling station where she voted Raila lost the election. Even former President Uhuru Kenyatta cannot stop him because he also failed to deliver him victory, as well as Jeremiah Kioni,” Mr Omondi said.
He added that Mr Odinga’s supporters were ready to work with President Ruto just as they did in the 2007 elections.
If former United Kingdom politician Henry John Temple’s words that “we have no eternal allies, and we have no perpetual enemies. Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty to follow,” are anything to go by, then they can be said to be a true reflection of Dr Ruto and Mr Odinga presently.
This will not be the first time the duo will be working together. Dr Ruto backed Mr Odinga in the 2007 presidential elections, a highly disputed poll that resulted in the formation of the Grand Coalition Government.
Dr Ruto’s deputy, Rigathi Gachagua, has expressed his reservations about the President working with Mr Odinga, which has strained their relationship.
Having battled for the country’s top seat in the August 9, 2022 presidential elections which Mr Odinga lost by 1.64 percentage points of the vote, leading to vicious anti-government protests last year, it was least expected that President Ruto and Mr Odinga would come together, at least not that soon.
Mr Odinga has insisted that his move is not about “saving Ruto, but saving Kenya,” from the precipice.
Insiders in both President Ruto’s and Mr Odinga’s camps intimated to the Nation that the two leaders have embraced “daily consultations,” with the former Prime Minister becoming an influential figure in the Kenya Kwanza administration.
“I can tell you the number of phone calls Raila has been receiving even from the ousted Cabinet secretaries who have even made several attempts to meet him for ‘soul searching’ are numerous and suggest his role in the current administration.
“Your guess is as good as mine regarding the soul-searching phrase,” a source in Mr Odinga’s camp told the Nation.
The source revealed further that even the principal secretaries and some parastatal chiefs have been reaching out to Mr Odinga seeking to possibly secure their positions with a looming reorganisation of government.
Belgut MP Nelson Koech of the President’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party argued: “Raila Odinga has simply shown rare statesmanship just as President Ruto did in reaching out to all leaders of goodwill to engage in a broad-based dialogue on how to resolve the issues that threaten the welfare of our nation and democracy.”
He added that President Ruto is proposing broad-based dialogue aimed at creating a platform for all leaders as well as stakeholders and sector representatives who want the best for Kenya to come on board and help the government in forging a better future for all Kenyans.
“Any leader who says he doesn't want to engage in dialogue or doesn’t represent Gen Z is merely abdicating their leadership responsibility. Gen Z are our siblings, our constituents and our party members. As leaders, we know where the shoe is pinching them or we can ask them, if we create the right platform for dialogue for them to engage with us as leaders peacefully,” Mr Koech told the Nation.
Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa, also a UDA legislator and a vicious critic of Mr Odinga, on Thursday, moved to apologise to the ODM leader, signalling the former Prime Minister’s acceptance in government circles.
“Raila has become a statesman ... I withdraw whatever I have referred to him as mtu wa vitendawili (a man of riddles) to mzee wa hekima (a man of wisdom),” Mr Barasa said.
Pokot South MP David Pkosing of the Kenya Union Party (KUP) also threw his weight behind Mr Odinga’s move to work with the government.
“As a party in Azimio, we support the position taken by ODM party on national dialogue, we also support formation of a government of national unity,” Mr Pkosing said.
He went on: “This is about the country; this is about the future. When a country is in crisis, a leader emerges. Thank you Baba Raila Amolo Odinga for emerging. You have been the seed Kenya needs to come out of crisis, you have done it before, do it now.”
The MP lauded President Ruto for what he termed “opening up for dialogue and embracing inclusive government”. “Our county will be safe and prosperous for all.”
Positive gesture
Mr Koech said that Mr Odinga’s camaraderie with President Ruto should be taken as a positive gesture towards creating a better Kenya.
“We cannot bury our head in the sand while we see our nation go in the wrong direction and not seek how best to address the issues that affect Kenyans, including cost of living, the state of the economy and unemployment of Gen Z.”
Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula told the Nation that President Ruto had only invited the ODM party into government, locking out other Azimio affiliate parties.
“But there are no hard feelings, as an official of DAP-K, we agree to team with other Azimio parties to form a formidable opposition against ODM and UDA,” added Mr Savula.
Political analyst Herman Manyora warned that Mr Odinga should be mindful of the thoughts shared by majority of Kenyans to avoid “eroding his image which he has built over the years”.
“You have come from somewhere consciously to deliberately come and help a person many Kenyans believe has the power to change things in the country yet he is adamant to do so,” he said.
On Wednesday, during the ODM joint National Executive Committee and Parliamentary Group meeting, Mr Odinga reportedly raised concerns with the clamour for President Ruto to resign, terming the consequences “dire.”
“Ruto goes, then what? Ruto may go then Gachagua takes over still implementing bad policies. Ruto can also say I am tired, let the generals (military) take over. Then the country begins to go through what Egypt went through after Tahrir Square. Ruto must go cannot be an end,” Mr Odinga said.
He added: “It’s at times of crisis like this that a country needs to talk. We are not doing it to save Ruto. We are doing it to save Kenya. Generals don’t have tear gas. They don’t have water cannons. They have bullets.”
