Prior to the controversial swearing-in of Mr. Raila Odinga in 2018, a number of activities had happened behind the scenes. At that time, ANC leader Musalia Mudavadi revealed in his memoirs, Mr. Odinga was under surveillance from the West, which was against the oathing.
In an interview with Nation on Thursday, Siaya Senator James Orengo admitted that there was pressure, particularly from the US on Odinga over the plans.
At one moment, Orengo says, Odinga was involved in fierce exchanges with US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Donald Yamamoto over the swearing-in.
With US warning of travel ban, Orengo says, Odinga fired back on phone, insisting that the US had no role in picking a president for Kenyans.
“I was with Raila when Acting Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, Donald Yamamoto called him, saying if he went on with the oath certain consequences, including a visa ban, would follow. And Raila told him that the US couldn’t impose a president on Kenya and that in any event, he had no interest in travelling to the US," he said.
Contrary to claims by Mudavadi in his book "Soaring Above the Storms of Passion", Orengo insists that Odinga did not succumb to pressure from the West.
“We didn’t mind the pressure from the diplomats. We had learned how to handle them since the days of (Raila’s father and founding vice-president) Jaramogi (Oginga Odinga). The handshake only came after a lot of thinking and consultation,” Mr. Orengo insisted.
In the book, Mudavadi also claimed that Raila and his Orange Democratic Movement party was undergoing financial challenges.
“While we can always do with more money we never ran out of cash. But if money was the motivation in our struggle over the years, we would have quit ages ago,” he said.