NASA leader Raila Odinga at a past event. [Photo/britannica.com]
Throughout his entire political life, NASA leader Raila Odinga has proven that he is not your ordinary politician. A master of self-reinvention, he has taken huge political gambles which have shaped up his political trajectory to become a focal point of the country's politics. 1994 was one such year that he took his rivals by surprise when he resigned as Lang'ata MP.Raila officially announced his arrival to the Kenyan political arena in 1992 when he contested for the Lang'ata MP seat and won by a landslide after garnering 24, 261 votes.However, following the death of his father Jaramogi Oginga Odinga in 1994, a war over the leadership of Ford Kenya arose. The new battle pitted Raila and the then Saboti MP Michael Kijana Wamalwa. Wamalwa had been Jaramogi's number two in Ford Kenya’s leadership and was better placed to take over as the new party boss. But as the rivalry between the duo escalated, Raila took a political gamble, resigned from Ford Kenya as consequently as Lang'ata MP and joined little-known National Development Party (NDP). He used the outfit to contest in the subsequent by-election and recaptured his seat.Since then, the Lang'ata MP seat became synonymous with Raila. He went on to defend the seat in three subsequent elections. In as much as his decision to relinquish his seat was a gamble in itself, it nonetheless helped him to gauge his level of support on the ground. It further helped him to reign supreme in Nairobi politics.