Raila Odinga: The symbol and symptom of Kenya’s political tragedy

From leader to compromised insider, his beingness told the communicative of a federation undone by the precise strategy it created.

Kenyans are wont to notation to Raila Odinga, the long-reigning 80-year-old absorption person who died connected Wednesday, arsenic the “Enigma of Kenyan politics,” a notation to the rubric of a 2006 biography of him penned by the Nigerian author, Babafemi Badejo. His unequalled quality to survive, adjacent thrive, astatine the apical of the country’s governmental scenery for decades confounded his rivals and inflicted headaches connected the regimes helium plagued. But I deliberation helium would beryllium champion remembered arsenic much reflector than mystery: the personification of Kenya’s tragedy.

The lad of Kenya’s archetypal vice president, helium carved retired a way arsenic a crusader for state and amended governance that led him from the country’s prisons and torture chambers to immoderate of the highest governmental offices successful the land. But astatine the extremity of his life, the compromises helium had made to get there, the handshakes that peppered his career, had taken their toll, with a caller procreation shunning him, considering him portion of the problem.

Throughout his agelong career, helium was inseparable from the combat for a amended Kenya. From the conflict for the restoration of multiparty ideology successful the 1990s to the 25-year conflict for a caller constitution, helium was ne'er acold from the limelight. Few could lucifer his quality to mobilise Kenyans oregon the sway helium held implicit his supporters. Despite believing Kenya needed to ditch its statesmanlike strategy for a parliamentary one, a presumption helium argued vociferously during the law league successful 2003, helium ran for president successful each predetermination since 1997 with the objection of the 2002 one, erstwhile his proclamation of “Kibaki Tosha” was capable to propel Mwai Kibaki to the office.

He was a antheral Kenya seemed contented to observe but determined to frustrate. He was arguably robbed of the presidency connected astatine slightest two, possibly three, of those attempts, successful 2007, 2013 and 2017. His refusal to meekly judge the injustice led to his opponents, and adjacent The New York Times, branding him “a perennial loser”. His edifice to the thoroughfare arsenic an avenue to protestation not conscionable the electoral controversies, but unspeakable authorities policies, besides led to accusations of being a unsafe instigator of governmental violence, though successful truth, the unit associated with Kenyan governmental demonstrations astir ever comes from the state.

However, it is besides important to callback that for each his legendary contributions and profoundly held beliefs, helium was prone to startling bouts of hypocrisy. It is simply a potent illustration of however powerfulness successful Kenya corrupts adjacent its top reformers. In 2000, aft his handshake with the dictatorship of Daniel arap Moi, which would yet spot him appointed to his cabinet, helium called for his erstwhile comrades successful the absorption to beryllium charged with treason for holding unauthorised antigovernment rallies. In 2006 helium boasted that, arsenic portion of the Rainbow Coalition that had ended Moi’s KANU party’s grip connected power, helium had blocked enactment by the Kibaki medication to clasp the dictator accountable for immoderate of the looting that had happened during his 24 years successful power. In aboriginal 2008, the standoff betwixt him and Kibaki implicit the bungled December 2007 statesmanlike predetermination would outgo 1,300 Kenyans their lives and spot hundreds of thousands displaced. Yet a fewer months later, pursuing yet different handshake resulting successful Raila becoming lone the 2nd idiosyncratic successful Kenya’s past to beryllium appointed premier minister, his household and adjacent associates were implicated successful a maize subsidy scam that near a 3rd of the state starving.

For his reputation, the straw that broke the camel’s backmost was his infamous 2018 handshake with President Uhuru Kenyatta, which again came aft the state’s convulsive repression pursuing the historical annulment of the 2017 statesmanlike election. It was wide seen arsenic a betrayal of his supporters, much than 70 of whom had been murdered by information forces portion protesting the hasty repetition election, which Raila boycotted, and its aftermath. Following that, though helium inactive had capable successful the vessel for a last tally astatine the presidency, helium was mostly a spent force. His situation to the William Ruto authorities successful the second portion of 2022 and into 2023 was a airy shadiness of the protests helium had commanded successful erstwhile years and was eclipsed by the Gen Z uprising a twelvemonth later.

Raila’s beingness epitomised some the committedness and disappointment of Kenya, which was calved successful struggle, nurtured successful anticipation and ruined by betrayal. The existent tragedy, however, lies not successful his compromises, but successful a strategy that made, and continues to make, integrity astir impossible. Despite his tremendous achievements which made him basal retired among his contemporaries, not conscionable successful Kenya but crossed the continent and the globe, his trajectory sadly traced a way that excessively galore of Kenya’s – and Africa’s – astir promising politicians person walked. His decease is simply a large stroke to the country, and helium volition undoubtedly beryllium remembered fondly by many. But possibly it should besides beryllium with a tinge of sadness and choler for what could person been but for Kenya itself.

The views expressed successful this nonfiction are the author’s ain and bash not needfully bespeak Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.