[Raila Odinga in a past campaign rally. His presence in Kenyan politics will be told for many years given the divided opinions he Kenyans hold about him. Photo/Nation]
Known as Agwambo (the mysterious one), Jakom (chairman) or Tinga (tracker) among his supporters, Raila Odinga’s story could be told for many years to come.
Born in 1945 to Kenya’s first Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Raila, 72, could afterwards give establishments sleepless nights for over years.
A mechanical engineer by profession, Odinga took his first formal job at the University of Nairobi before joining Kenya Bureau of Standards.
His struggle against one-party rule by retired President Daniel Arap Moi saw him detained twice (from 1982 to 1988 and 1989 to 1991) and holds the record of being the longest serving detainee.
In 1992, Odinga was elected to represent Lang’ata constituency on a Ford Kenya ticket, a party which he would later dump for NDP. He served in the constituency, home to Africa’s second largest slum, Kibra for two decades.
Two months ago, he embarked on a journey of trying his fourth stab at presidency, having had unsuccessful attempts in 1997, 2007 and 2013; he was given a reprieve by Supreme Court in 2017 edition after the nullification of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s victory.
With Kenyan politics mainly being ethnic based, Odinga has a wide following among the Luo, Kamba, Luhya but has equally struggle to stamp his authority among the Kikuyu and Kalenjin communities.
A fortnight ago, Odinga shocked the entire world when he withdrew from presidential repeat poll, instead launching a vicious campaign to have a section of IEBC officials resign from the commission.
The move has attracted criticism from President Uhuru Kenyatta led team which accuses him of dividing the country.
While IEBC insist elections shall take place this Thursday, the veteran politician has called for demonstrations across the country, a move that has even created more anxiety in the country.
To his supporters, Odinga is a democrat who has sacrificed a lot in the fight against dictatorship but critics see him as a selfish person, who will do everything to gain power.
Even with the uncertainty following his withdrawal from the race, he still insists that his supporters will reach ‘Canaan’ and whether his dream to be president will be realized; it will be just but another milestone in his prolific political career.