On 9th March 2018, Raila Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta decided to bury their hatchet and work together to bring peace after the highly contested 2017 elections.
The surprise handshake caught many unawares including the Deputy President, Raila’s co-principals Musalia Mudavadi, Kalonzo Musyoka and Moses Wetangula.
As the events are unfolding after the much talked about the handshake, there are signs that Raila Odinga might be using the handshake to blackmail President Uhuru to support the constitutional amendment through a referendum.
When Raila was speaking during the ODM NEC retreat in Naivasha on 8th may, 2018 he said that if the contents of the MoU between him and President Uhuru during the handshake on the 9th March are not implemented as agreed, 2022 elections will be messy and chaotic.
There is a sense of mischief and blackmail in what Raila Odinga uttered. Before the 8th August 2017 elections, Raila Odinga, and his co-principals wanted the implementation of the famous Bomas draft constitution while both president Uhuru and his Deputy did not want any debate on that.
As it looks now, President Uhuru has not uttered a word about the amendment of the constitution to bring in a new governance structure of 14 regional administrative blocks as Raila wants the same.
On the other hand, the Deputy President is adamant that the constitution cannot be amended to create positions for power-hungry individuals and the elites.
The simple explanation of President Uhuru’s silence is that Raila Odinga could be using his newfound friendship with him to lure him into supporting the referendum question at the expense of supporting his Deputy.
Raila Odinga knows very well that by using the new found friendship to demand a referendum, President Uhuru is at a cross-road and has no option but to support it for the sake of peace and creating a great legacy.
President Uhuru doesn’t support the referendum push at a personal level but this time round Raila Odinga has cornered him and he has no option but to support him for the handshake to work and bear fruits.