Journalists miss Raila’s speech despite camping at airport for hours

As CORD supporters waited for the arrival of their party leader at Uhuru Park, a group of journalists also eagerly awaited Kenya’s leader of official Opposition to say a few wise words. This, however, was to no avail.

 Signs were clear from the beginning that if there were to be a press conference by Raila Odinga and his coalition co-principals, it would be a short one and at, possibly, a venue not all journalists would be aware of. 

When journalists arrived at the airport, they received two conflicting reports of where the presser was to be held. Airport security officials directed members of the Fourth Estate to the domestic departures section where a part of the room had been converted into a makeshift lobby. But Odinga’s personal assistant was adamant that the venue was to be the reception area and chairs were arranged in two rows.

At the front of the rows was a blue tape. Behind it a dais from which Raila was to address the nation from.

Human corridor

 We religiously jostled for space on the roughly half metre squared podium. Eventually all microphones fit the space and the waiting began. At 2:40 pm, some CORD luminaries arrived. Ababu Namwamba, Francis Nyenze, Hassan Omar and a host of other CORD MPs joined the journalists waiting for the party leader. 

A few minutes later Ababu was whisked off by a security official to the VIP lounge where he would be among those to receive Raila when he touched down. Also with him were CORD co- principals Moses Wetang’ula, Kalonzo Musyoka as well as Mombasa Governor Ali Hassan Joho, Senator Hassan Omar and Mbita MP Millie Odhiambo and others.

 Meanwhile, away from the VIP lounge, the remaining officials were eagerly waiting to shake the party leader’s hand. At one point, the officials even lined up on both sides of the dais, creating a human corridor through which ‘Baba’ was to walk through.

The welcoming committee was complete with a troupe of women in high spirits bursting out in a Kalenjin welcoming song in spurts. At the head of the group was a visibly elated lady with a gourd of what was presumed to be sour milk. Amid the excitement, Kiminini Member if Parliament Chris Wamalwa consistently insisted that the press conference was “around three or more minutes” away. This was however not to be. As the singers lined up and lent their angelic voices to a cause that was soon to be lost, a departure was silently being planned away from the prying eyes of the media.

 At 3:15pm Machakos Senator Johnstone Muthama suddenly burst into a trot and broke away from the singers. Francis Nyenze, Gladys Wanga and Dan Maanzo in hot pursuit. Each of them heading from an emergency exit at the back of the room. 

It suddenly dawned on all that the subject of the attention was making a break for it. At 3:33pm, Odinga’s convoy drove into Uhuru Park to be met by the sea of humanity in orange that had patiently been waiting for him since Saturday morning.