Has Raila Odinga changed his brand of politics or is he lying low?

The Raila Odinga his supporters see on TV nowadays is not the Baba they have always known.

He has either decided to completely change his brand of politics or he is lying low. The only other reasonable explanation is that he has been bogged down by age. Actually, in his late 70s, Baba is acting too strong for his age. He is still very coherent and can manage a few meetings in a day. Yet, he must still satisfy the multitude that knew him to be a man of immense energy only matched by his political nemesis William Ruto.

In recent times, the one time that he has given a taste of his bravery and outrightness is when he addressed one of the largest gatherings in recent days in Kisumu. He spoke mostly in Luo and reminded his kinsmen that he was still ‘Agwambo’ the mysterious one Tinga the bulldozer and the son of Jaramogi. Truth be told, even those who have never voted for him, still admired his bravery and mysteriousness.

Whenever he called a press conference, government officers would start wetting their pants. That’s how current Kirinyaga Governor ended up asking for lighter duties. Not many know that, it is the pressure from Raila and other opposition leaders that made the Jubilee Government shift from expensive Eurobond loans to some affordable loans from IMF and other organisations.

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This is the Agwambo that people have been seeking. Rao; strong like a hippo that had no fear for the streets and even forced out Isaac Hassan and his team from IEBC. They are asking where is the man that defied teargas, water bowsers and bullets all the way from JKIA to Kibera. It is obvious none of those approaches have made him a resident of State House. However, he must still give his supporters a taste of what his government would be. Would it be the Government of a tamed lion or a wounded lion. A tamed lion would have no choice, but to abide by the will of his masters. A wounded lion would take on the detractors of the country and deal with graft mercilessly.

His supporters can find comfort in the fact that Raila has been written off many times. His opponents have been sending him to Bondo every election cycle. He is still here. Maybe his new strategy will make a resident of State House and if that happens then maybe the end would have justified the means.

However, the conundrum is whether his army is still intact. The army that made him a demigod in Kenyan politics. He definitely should not wait for August to prove this for that may be too late. To satisfy his supporters, Raila must organise caravans of campaigns from every corner of the country.

Or maybe he doesn’t have it anymore.

Writer is an anchor at Radio Maisha