Raila Odinga, a man credited with the fight for democracy in Kenya notably in the clamour for multi-party and the journey to the current Constitution is truly an enigma that will be talked about by generations to come.
Despite his failed bids to win the presidency in 1997, 2007, 2013, and 2017, Raila remains a towering figure in Kenyan politics.
His name and influence remains formidable, even though he has also elicited passionate loathing and enmity in some quarters.
Raila is seen by many Kenyans as a forward-thinking and strategic leader.
He was the main opposition candidate in the 2007 presidential election, running against incumbent Mwai Kibaki.
Following a truce to end the violence which erupted after the said election, he was appointed Prime Minister in April 2008.
This was in a power-sharing deal with Mwai Kibaki. The role saw him serve as supervisor and coordinator of the coalition government.
In the subsequent presidential election, he came second against Uhuru Kenyatta, garnering 5,340,546 votes, which represented 43.28% of the total votes cast.
He made another run for the presidency in August 2017, still against Uhuru Kenyatta (Jubilee Party) and lost after Wafula Chebukati’s IEBC declared Uhuru as the winner with 54% of the votes cast to Raila’s 43%.
This outcome was eventually annulled by the Supreme Court on September 1, 2017, following findings that the election was marred by “illegalities and irregularities”.
A subsequent fresh election ordered by the court was won by Uhuru Kenyatta after the Raila-led NASA coalition declined to participate citing inadequate reforms within the IEBC.
Following the declaration of Uhuru as president, Raila’s NASA brigade formulated a revolutionary movement dubbed the National Resistance Movement (NRM-Kenya).
The entity was to spearhead a revolution against Uhuru on grounds his presidency was ‘illegitimate’.
The brigade later told its supporters to boycott newspapers, TV stations, products and services, of companies believed to have backed Jubilee in the 2017 vote.
“We start a battle for electoral justice so that we have credible elections in this country,” he told NASA backers in call for them to boycott the repeat presidential election that was ordered by the Supreme Court.
“We call on Kenyans who love democracy to hold vigils and prayers and stay away from polling stations. We are aware that they plan to massacre our people. Let us deny them that chance.”
In the push for electoral reforms after the boycott of the repeat election, Raila activated the boycott of products from corporations he claimed were part of the August election rigging scheme.
Mobile service provider Safaricom, Haco Industries, Bidco, and Uhuru’s Brookside, were among the entities that were targetted in the drive.
The goal – ” to bring the institutions to their knees” – followed Raila’s announcement that the National Super Alliance had changed into a resistance movement.
“Big corporations are part in efforts to kill democracy in Kenya. We have the power and if they want to stifle our democracy, we can retaliate,” Raila told journalists then.