With the year almost coming to an end, it has been a bumpy ride for Kenyans especially after coming from the electioneering period last year.
The year saw many new transformations after the March 9 handshake between President Uhuru and ODM leader Raila Odinga when they decided to bury the hatchet.
2017 was a painful year for many with the loss of lives that came with the August election and repeat election in October.
But since the March 9 handshake, the country has been in tranquility as Kenyans witnessed Raila visiting Jubilee zones like Kiambu while Uhuru visited Kisumu to launch the first pilot of the Universal Health Coverage.
With Uhuru getting himself criticised for some of his appointments, the handshake came with many goodies for Raila and his close friends.
Raila got appointed as the AU’s High Representative for Development and Infrastructure. He has been awarded with the Black History Month, African Peace Award 2018 and got an honorary Degree at the Jaramogi Odinga University alongside Uhuru.
In what seemed to be a reward for the handshake, Uhuru in July gave Raila’s two key campaign members state appointments
Kathleen Openda was appointed the Chairperson of the Council of the Kenya Institute of Mass Communication.
Openda was the director in charge of communication and media at the secretariat which ran Raila’s campaign.
Joe Owaka Ager, NASA’s director of operations, was designated as the Chairperson of the Placement Board for the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS).
NASA CEO Norman Magaya, a former critic of Uhuru, and ODM Secretariat official David Osiany also landed memberships in Kenya Film Classification and Chemelil Sugar boards respectively.
ODM Vice Chair Thomas Mwadeghu was in September appointed to sit in the Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority Board while former ODM Women’s League Chair Betty Syengo is in the Board of the Bomas of Kenya.
Former ODM Mps Agostino Neto (Ndhiwa )was selected as a Board member for NEMA, while Martin Ogindo (Rangwe) is a board member of the Agricultural Development Corporation.
Raila’s former aide Caroli Omondi was in June appointed as a board member of the National Oil Corporation of Kenya for a three a year term.