NASA leader Raila Odinga. [Photo/ Qwetu Radio]
President Uhuru Kenyatta's inauguration on Tuesday should mark the end of a prolonged period of politics, which has badly hurt ordinary Kenyans. The decision of the Supreme Court to nullify President Uhuru Kenyatta’s resounding victory on the August 8 election led to loss of jobs, economic stagnation and loss of lives of tens of Kenyans. Now that the same court has said President Kenyatta was validly elected on October 26, it is time politicians let Kenyans move on with their lives. The more than 98% of the total votes that the president got was a strong indicator that people wanted to put the election cycle behind them. NASA leader Raila Odinga, who dropped out of the race even before the October 26 elections were held, must now realise that it does not help exposing his supporters to violence and death, which he later uses to gain political mileage. Now that the ODM leader’s political career is effectively over, he needs to become a statesman, carry out international assignments and even mentor his successor in the opposition. After the inauguration, the next time Kenyans would like to hear about politics is in 2022, when they are set to return to the ballot in another general election. Until then, self-serving politicians must give the people of Kenya a break. As (the late) former Vice President George Saitoti once said, there comes a time when the nation is more important than an individual. That time is now.