Kenyatta-Odinga marriage will orphan many

The recent closing of ranks between President Uhuru Kenyatta and his political arch nemesis, Raila Odinga, has deafening, different and knock-on corollaries. For, it’ll reconfigure and redefine Kenya’s political map with everlasting-domino effects. This milestone has, if anything, tremendous negative and positive effects to some wannabes, power brokers and the country in general. The Kenyatta-Odinga nuptial didn’t augur well with some players. For, it isn’t a secret; there were some intriguers who exploited Kenya’s longtime bog to create political niches for personal reasons. All who sought to use Odinga to prop and imbed themselves in Kenyan political landscape, under Kenyatta-Odinga wings, are outright losers. This is because many lack political gravitas.

Being a political juggernaut, Odinga breast-fed and sheltered many. Therefore, Odinga’s impromptu move; will orphan many. They’ll become first casualties. You can hear their howling pouting with the loss almost everywhere after it bleakly dawned on them in this game that needs flexibilities and scheming.

If anything, among hard-hit are: Joshua Miguna Miguna who’d love to be a Luo kingmaker, if not the king, and possibly, a president of Kenya. Again, his strategies and style are rudimentarily combative and garish. He lacks political charisma.miguna doesn’t impress many in anything national or political. He is but a newbie and provocateur that can’t assure the voters anything but chaos and convulution. Buccaneering and precipitateness are the suitable attributes of the man.

Furthermore, Miguna’s neither toehold nor knack in his Luo politics. Refer to how Miguna started to take on perceived foes in the NASA. His casualties who turned out to be heroes strategists David Ndii and Norman Magaya who were vindicated by Miguna’s abrasive behaviour.  

Apart from being an outsider, Miguna’s a neophyte in Luo and Kenyans politics altogether. His political resume isn’t only long-winded but also scraggy and buoyant. He got his gravitas under Odinga’s wings. This is why when he deserted him; he found he’d not make it alone. Like a divorcee, he unashamedly returned himself to the hubby to face whatever infamy. Lucky him; he’s gawkily accepted.

Kalonzo Musyoka aka wiper’s been in the game for long. Conversely though, he’s no foothold on big things despite serving in big loci. Had he been a cagey schemer, he’d have used Moi to reach wherever he wanted to. Sad, so sad, he didn’t. He’s used. Shakiness and wackiness his attributes. Even his base in Ukambani, shall we rely on ethnic calculations is wacky and shaky so to speak.

Moses Wetangula is still branding himself not only in Kenya’s politics but also Luhya’s. Despite having big ambitions, he still has a very long and jagged way to go ethnically and nationally.

Another also-ran is Musalia Mudavadi. Just like Kenyatta and Odinga, he’s been in the game for long after taking the baton from his father Moses as Luhya Kingmaker. However, his chances of making it to the top office are as slim as those of his co-principals are.

Another casualty is DP William Ruto whose marriage with Kenyatta was necessitated by the International Criminal Court. Arguably, Ruto’s future success depends on Kenyatta due to the farfetched assumption that Ruto helped Kenyatta to ascend to the throne while in actuality Mwai Kibaki is the one who did the magic, rigging as per Odinga. Ruto will be making a grave mistake to believe that Kenyatta will endorse him per se. who knew that Kibaki who benefited from the phrase “Kibaki Tosha’ would stab Odinga in the back by refusing to say ‘Raila Tosha’? His was ‘Raila Toka’. Now that the ICC is no longer hovering over UhuRuto, what’s left of the marriage of convenience? Politics is a very dirty and dizzy game. He who thinks he’s standing must watch he mustn’t fall.

When it comes to winners, they are Kenyatta who seeks to leave a shining legacy and Odinga whose hope for 2022 is still raw.  Some make a goof assuming Odinga is too old to run. Wrong. Ask Nelson Mandela (South Africa), Abdulaye Wade (Senegal), Ronald Reagan (US) Jose Mujica (Uruguay) Michael Sata (Zambia), Bingu wa Mutharika (Malawi), Muhammad Buhari (Nigeria-incumbent) Peter Mutharika (Malawi-incumbent), Hage Gottfried Geingob (Namibia-incumbent) and Beji Caid Essebsi (Tunisia-incumbent) among others, who became presidents in their 70s. There is no retirement in politics, especially in Africa.

In a nutshell, Kenyatta-Odinga newly-found love, if is not felled, is likely to change Kenya’s political landscape for good. In other words, this move has redefined Kenya’s politics by creating new environment for different forms of politics wherein victory for the state house does no longer depend on the UhuRuto calibration.

Source: Citizen today March 28, 2018.