Uhuru-Raila election battle may polarise nation again

My crystal ball is back — and it will shock you. The year 2017 is around the corner, and you know what that means. There’s one more epic duel between the Kenyattas and the Odingas. CORD boss Raila Odinga, the indomitable son of Jaramogi, will once again go mano-a-mano with Kamwana, the scion of the Burning Spear. Every time the two families have squared off, the Odingas have come out with the short end of the stick. Even in 2002, when Mr Kenyatta lost to NARC’s Mwai Kibaki — with Mr Odinga’s pivotal support — the son of Jomo was arguably the winner. That’s because it was that loss which prepared him for his 2013 ascend to State House. Can a third non-traditional candidate unseat both?

There’s never been a quasi-coherent Opposition in Kenya without an Odinga in charge. That’s fact, not fiction. Jaramogi was the doyen — and father — of Opposition politics. His demise left a large vacuum that Raila, his son, filled. But like the father, the younger Mr Odinga risks living out his life never having achieved the ultimate prize — corralling State House. The closest he came was numero dos, as Prime Minister, just like his father, who became Vice President. For the Odingas, the struggle to the pinnacle of state power has been Sisyphean. Theirs is a story with layers of Greek tragedy. But 2017 represents arguably the last good shot Mr Odinga may have at redeeming the family name.