My grandpa was a soldier who always advised people not to shoot themselves on the foot. Raila was never in his circles but he must have heart of the ‘phrase’ but redundancy is sort of a disorder. Mr Raila Odinga’s politics for nearly two decades has been around prime minister Position and referendum.
He is a poor deal maker, his strongest card is always ‘referendum’, and he doesn’t shy from pulling it whenever he has a deal with the opponent. Boardroom and ‘street smart’ political gurus like President Uhuru Kenyatta have shot it before. He rejected the parliamentary system in 2009 so unless some ‘magic’ happens then he can have a reason to back it now. That magic has not happened.
It is not possible that he will back it, his Mt. Kenya is still crying about under-representation. For them one man one vote thing must count, they have numbers and for them that means electing the most powerful leader must be through the popular vote.
This is the guy Odinga wants to make a deal with on parliamentary system of government with, he has mind made up or if he goes that direction he goes alone. His people have shown resistance to that direction. And with the release of 2019 census, numbers show that some counties in Mt Kenya region will have their constituency boundaries reviewed and merged.
That is a sack of salt on the ‘old and wounded’ Odinga who has learnt that he can’t win presidency through the ballot. His opponents are too smart for him to beat so he wants it just for the name, ‘bora president’. About premiership, he has been there and showed him dust; he was treated like a cabinet secretary.
Now he is in the handshake deal with the president and all he sings morning, noon and night is more positions and referendum. His all hopes are in BBI? But the delay to release the BBI report is now beginning blow horns of war; I think they are in different pages with the president. ODM sing handshake year in year out, Jubilee does not save for the president and the less effective Maina Kamanda. ODM presented their proposals to the BBI, Jubilee did not.
And the body language should now be clear for my ODM brothers. Their handshake partners are not singing the referendum and more positions chorus. The president talks BBI yes but his vibe ends there, he doesn’t talk more positions, he doesn’t talk referendum but he once said he wants to go home when his term expires.
I think Odinga has a deal with the wrong guy who is using him to lace his legacy with shiny jewels. A united country? Yes might a achieve that a couple of landmark projects. He has Odinga to stamp huge debts and crazy projects like ‘Huduma Number’. This is finishing Odinga and whatever the outcome, BBI may fail to address his shrunk ego.
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