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Allow me to express my reluctant congratulations to Raila Amollo Odinga. I congratulate him for the successful execution of an almost brilliant political scheme. The reason my praise is reluctant is because the scheme was obvious.
What Raila managed last week is called political conjuring. He executed a magic trick he learnt from Mzee Moi called ‘Creative chaos’. The former President used this trick anytime he felt cornered or when his political capital was depreciating.
He would create a crisis then become the ‘hero’ who would come swooping in, to resolve it. Here is how he did it. Moi would instruct his ministers to institute an unpopular policy directive; for instance on curbing the matatu menace. Immediately, the matatus would go on strike. Then he would be the one to resolve it, to the relief and gratitude of the republic.
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