Raila Odinga meets Gregory B Simpkins of US Congressional Committee on November 8, 2017 in Washington DC. [Photo/nation.co.ke]
Although NASA politicians claim that Raila Odinga has met ‘big people’ during his ongoing tour of the United States, it is now clear that he has only managed to see junior officials of the US government. The National Resistance Movement (NRM) leader has so far held meetings with a number of inconsequential officials, who include: Yamamoto Donald (the assistant secretary of State for African Affairs in the US administration), Michael Phelan (the director of the US Sent Foreign Relations Committee) Senator Chris Coons and Greg Simpkins (the director of the house of Representatives sub-committee on Africa). All these officials do not influence policy decisions in the Trump administration.
And the earlier statement that Raila was going to address a joint sitting of the US Senate and House of Representatives ended up being false. The US does not allow people who are not heads of states to make such addresses. The real reason that Raila travelled to the United States, analysts say, was to seek a spot for hibernation, and then have his foot soldiers orchestrate a ‘grand return’, similar to the #BabaWhileYouWereAway return after the 2013 elections. Already, politicians in NRM are planning to go the airport to welcome Raila when he returns on Friday. The aim of this plot is to create political tension and give NASA supporters hope that all is not lost, despite being disappointed by Raila’s withdrawal from the October 26 presidential contest.Listening to the statements that the ODM leader has made during his weeklong holiday in the US, it is clear that he has gone to just complain — play the victim who has been wronged. He has been accused of going to report his opponents to the ‘big brother’, who are popularly called his foreign masters that he reports to.
It has also become clear that Raila was not invited by anyone to the United States -- he just went there and started addressing anyone keen to hear him.