William Ruto: This is the Raila I knew

As a freshman legislator, I found in the National Assembly a restless and tireless Odinga who had already made an indelible mark as a determined firebrand who never hesitated when called upon to prove his mettle.

In 1996, Odinga had done the unthinkable by resigning in his first term as member of Parliament for Lang’ata due to irreconcilable differences with the leadership of Ford Kenya.

He contested the subsequent by-election under the then unknown National Development Party, whose symbol, a tractor, would earn him the nickname Tinga Tinga or Tinga in short. It helped that Tinga happened to rhyme with Odinga, and that is what I, with countless others,  called him for a long time.

Mobilised non-stop

Odinga mobilised non-stop and built the new party from scratch. By 1997, NDP had eclipsed Ford Kenya with 21 members. Following the election, Odinga executed a political strategy that confounded friend and foe, which involved finding common ground with Kanu and President Moi, then anathema and implacable foe respectively.

In Moi’s succession, Odinga had spotted a golden political opportunity he could not turn away from and, in NDP and Odinga, Moi saw not only safety in parliamentary numbers, but also a chance to build a broad national support base for his succession plan.

It was during this time that I found myself working more closely with Odinga as we tightened the nuts and bolts of the Kanu-NDP ‘cooperation' before transitioning it into the full-blown merger that shook Kenya's political landscape with reverberations that gave rise to Narc and swept Kanu out of power to date.

It was immediately clear that, politically speaking, Odinga and I had a number of fundamental characteristics in common. First, his energy and zeal, especially when it came to networking, mobilising and overseeing operations and the implementation of competitive political strategies.

Second, his sharp focus, total commitment and unstoppable  motivation in the pursuit of what he believed in. Third, his pragmatism and impressive, yet thoroughly principled flexibility when it came to building alliances, negotiation, reviewing and even changing course.

Fourth, Odinga believed in the people as the foremost if not the sole reason for political leadership. Finally, he and I believed in the importance of strong, national parties for strengthening democracy and anchoring good governance. Together with other colleagues, we built a strong party that endures to date as a powerful institution of our democracy. Afterwards, I have taken part in building equally formidable parties and coalitions from the bottom up.

This similarity had two fundamental implications: When Odinga and I were on the same page, we were utterly unstoppable. However, whenever we found ourselves at odds, the going got really tough. It will be an understatement for me to state that, in 2002, things got a little difficult after he left Kanu and launched a turbocharged Narc.

Between 2005 and 2010, we were a formidable team. However, between 2010 and 2022, we were once more at loggerheads. I will always be grateful to Odinga because, in the last few years, we rediscovered once more the sweet spot and shared a moment of divine grace. I have benefitted immensely from Odinga's wisdom and experience as my parliamentary colleague, team leader, Prime Minister, elder statesman and friend.

For me, working with Odinga affirmed certain important truths that, I believe, no leader should ever neglect: Respect for opponents, acknowledging our diversity and different opinions,  never underestimating competitors and never losing sight of the humanity of all persons, including our adversaries.

In all the years I knew Odinga, I was privileged to witness his devotion to his family, his loyalty to his friends and comrades, his pursuit of the abundant life made up of diverse engagements, all energetically pursued: From sport, business and engineering to innovation, devolution, pan-Africanism and farming; from dancing, statecraft and African culture to social democracy.

Read: Pan-African-in-chief: Inside Raila Odinga’s dream for the continent

He impressed me most with the clarity of his conviction that the Kenya we want is within reach if we are committed to do the hard work and make bold decisions; that our democratic experiment must be nurtured vigilantly and matured ambitiously; that leadership always creates space for the youth now, and that Kenya always comes first, and our ambitions are always subordinate to the greater good.

To his last day, Odinga was steadfast in the struggle to deliver the Africa Union’s Agenda 2063  and the Kenya Vision 2030, beginning at the devolved units.

I am a witness of Odinga's fiery patriotism, which never dimmed. I know because we had many deep conversations; and we shared the perspective that economic development was the crowning glory of the struggle for freedom, democracy and justice. Odinga never lost an opportunity to reiterate the words of the National Anthem, especially the lines: “Justice be our shield and defender” and, “Plenty be found within our borders”.

I honour my dear departed brother not only because he believed in the best of the right things for our country, but also because he never hesitated to stand up for his convictions and, many a time, pay a painful price for them. I celebrate his courage and respect his compassion.

I remember his sense of humility, humanity, honour and humour. In a time when politics often beat, broke and reduced the best and brightest into indifference, ambiguity or cowardice, Odinga stood tall, walked proudly and fought the good fight with a smile and a kitendawili.

His legacy calls on us to contemplate the real possibility of a gracious, selfless, principled and  patriotic politics. It also demonstrates, beyond any doubt, that it is impossible to attempt a modern history of Kenya without devoting a number of rich chapters to the life and work of Raila Odinga.

As we bid farewell to a much beloved and towering patriot, I want to persuade all Kenyans that the best way of honouring him is by standing together in one accord, working with determination to deliver prosperity for all Kenyans within a generation.

William Ruto is the President of the Republic of Kenya

Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.