NASA flag bearer Raila Odinga with his wife Ida Odinga during a church service at All Saints Cathedral on Sunday. The move has been rubbished by some analysts as mere Public Relations exercise. [Photo: kenya-today.com]
NASA flag bearer Raila Odinga's recent visits to churches and holy sites notably in Israel is a mere show-off gimmick meant to impress a section of voters, political analyst Prof. Peter Kagwanja has said.
Kagwanja has said that Raila is not known to be a dedicated church goer and his 'sudden interest' in divine matters can only be interpreted as a political strategy aimed at winning the church vote."Raila has no well-known history of church going. In fact, the only way I can interpret this is that Raila is trying to sanctify himself and prove that he isn't the 'juju' and witchcraft leader some people say he is. Remember he is telling us that he is our Joshua. How else to assert this notion than making regular church appearances?" Kagwanja said on NTV on Sunday.Kagwanja was commenting on Raila's church attendance at All Saints Cathedral, Nairobi before presenting his nomination papers to IEBC for clearance at KICC.Before the church sermon where he was accompanied by the other NASA co-principals, Raila had held a prayer service at his Karen home with invited church leaders.Last week political analyst Mutahi Ngunyi of the 'tyranny of numbers' fame rubbished Raila's recent 'divine visit' to Israel's Western Wall (renowned Jewish holy site) terming it 'hypocritical'."Jesus taught us that prayer is a private affair. Only hypocrites pray loudly to impress others. Is Raila doing this because he was accused of witchcraft? Or he is praying in Jerusalem to become Joshua?...How can he go to Jerusalem to pray and we never see him praying in Nairobi on Sundays?" said Ngunyi in part.