NASA presidential candidate Raila Odinga. Political sideshows will cost him his presidential bid. [Photo|nation.co.ke]
National Super Alliance (NASA) presidential candidate Raila Odinga has been in the forefront advocating for electoral reforms in the country before the October presidential election.
He has given the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) irreducible minimums that he believes will sanitize the whole electoral process which led to the annulment of the August presidential election results.
Among his demands, the opposition chief wants some of IEBC staff out of office because he believes they bungled the August polls. This has prompted him to organize anti-IEBC demonstrations against the staff that he insists must leave office before we go back to an election.
However, while Raila is organizing his troops to demonstrate every Monday and Friday, his main competitor President Uhuru Kenyatta is busy campaigning in a bid to reclaim his seat.
He has also been receiving defectors from both the NASA coalition and its strongholds. This, together with Jubilee party's superior numbers in MCAs, Mps, Women Reps, Senators and Governors is a further indication President Kenyatta may have an upper hand in the forthcoming election.
The irreducible minimums, coupled with the election laws amendments by Jubilee, has put the country at a precarious phase. The tension is high and no side wants to relent on their course of action. However, the anti-IEBC demonstrations are hurting Kenyans especially economically. For the every two days of demonstrations per week, businesses are paralyzed and Kenyans find it hard to put food on the table.
With the hard economic situation in the country, Raila may also cause voter apathy within his supporters. For all the times Raila has participated in the presidential election, he has alluded to the election being rigged against him. And in the August polls, he successfully challenged the presidential election results in the Supreme Court.
Raila should drop his demands and participate in the October election. This year has been majorly dominated by politics that has affected numerous sectors.
The stalemate cannot go on anymore as people need to get their lives on course. If he truly has the interest of the country at heart, then he should help end the stalemate or he could lose more supporters and hence his presidential bid.