NASA principal Raila Odinga, Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho and Kisauni MP Rashid Bedzimba at a past event in Kilifi County. [Photo/ the-star.co.ke]
An MP who ones worked as a General Service Unit officer and guarded ODM leader Raila Odinga at the Naivasha GK Maximum prison after the 1982 attempted coup says he joined politics because he was inspired by the opposition chief while in detention.Kisauni MP Rashid Bedzimba said Raila’s character in prison motivated him to join politics.He says he first saw Raila at the Naivasha GK Maximum Prison in 1987 where the former prime minister had been detained following the attempted coup engineered by members of the Kenya Air Force.Naivasha GK Prison, then, was known as a facility for detaining politicians and civilians deemed critical of government.Bedzimba’s platoon had been deployed to the prison to ensure the detainees do not escape.“I would see him (Raila) every day during my shift,” he said as quoted by The Star.“He used to sing freedom mantras whenever he came out of the cells for breakfast, lunch and dinner,” he added.He said the inspiration he got from the songs Raila sung at the prison softened him despite working for the government as a security officer.“Raila is a person who has sincerely fought for reforms and freedom in this country. His devotion to serve Kenyans was evident when he was being held at Naivasha Prison,” said Bedzimba.Bedzimba quit GSU in 1992 and went to the Middle East where he worked as a security consultant before jetting back to the country in 2001 ahead of the 2002 general election.After the poll, he was nominated councilor in Mombasa before successfully running for the Mjambere Ward seat in Kisauni on an ODM ticket.He contested for the Kisauni parliamentary seat in 2013 and won with a wide margin.He is Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho’s close ally and is among MPs expected to retain their seats during the August 8 election.