After taming Raila, let's use him to slay dragons

Raila Odinga host President Uhuru Kenyatta for breakfast in his Bondo home. [PHOTO:WILBERFORCE OKWIRI]

President Uhuru Kenyatta has done what no other president has done in living memory.

He seems to have managed to tame Raila Odinga. All that have tried before him have failed. As a minister in Kanu, Raila would always make his ambitions and intentions clear. Under the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) he was a constant pain in Kibaki’s side. Within a short time, he had left Narc and was leading the opposition against the referendum of 2005. In 2007, he was made prime minister but he was constantly fighting for his space.

Uhuru in 2013, was adamant: “Raila should quit politics or lose his government security and privileges.” The son of Jomo had forgotten that the son of Jaramogi was no pushover. Raila exposed the rot within the administration at every turn, culminating in teargas Mondays, which then forced Jubilee to acquiesce to his demands.

Today, the son of Jaramogi is a tamed behemoth. He is not timid, he has not been brow beaten into submission. Instead he remains larger than life, hugely rebranded, liked by most of the country, hated only by the extremists within his ranks. He has the country enthralled, his movements make headlines. He is tame, but still undeniably Raila. This tame Raila therefore is a force not to be ignored. Whilst he is tame, Uhuru must take advantage.

Political tsunami

Raila is the force that can move an immovable object. There is no bigger tsunami than Raila in Kenya's politics and Uhuru can use this force to the greater good of the nation. First he must ensure that the conversation steers clear of 2022. He must ensure that seizes this force and focuses it on two major things: the fight against corruption and the handling of political hot potato issues.

Uhuru has the rare privilege of leading Kenya without a formidable opposition, which is a cause of worry for some, but an opportunity in my mind. Uhuru can now fight corruption knowing there will be little political backlash with Raila as his insurance policy and enforcer. He needs to make use of the fact that Raila has always been a whistle blower-in-chief. He must make Raila the hunting cheetah instead of the dog, because the prey is too big. Uhuru can handle the executive side and trust Raila to handle the political side of things. The two working together can catch any big fish without breaking a sweat and the two, perhaps more importantly, can begin to tame us, the small fish, from dalliance in corruption.

What the handshake also portends for Uhuru is he can now handle issues that many have not had the courage to touch in years. These are issues of past injustices and the plight of marginalized Kenyans. This is the time Uhuru should ensure there are schools, hospitals and roads in every part of this country that has been marginalised. Every Kenyan should feel the benefits of sirkal. These developments will be welcome and accepted for the simple reason that they will not be seen as political decisions, but rather the making of a new nation.

Past injustices

The advantages of the handshake are potentially many. There is no other place where the potential is larger than in handling past injustices, from the Wagalla massacre to the most recent death in the 2017 elections. Uhuru and Raila can drive a campaign for forgiveness, peace and reconciliation. An invite of the families to State House where Uhuru and Raila can speak with them and assure them of a better and more peaceful future is perhaps the panacea Kenya needs to heal from the headache of past wrongs that lie uncorrected.

Perhaps Raila should do all over the country what he did in Kisumu, prepare previously hostile places to receive Uhuru. Both of them can then preach peace, forgiveness and restitution. This will also give a fresh impetus to the building bridges team.

We the benefactors of this handshake need to be clear. In this handshake, we have a precious window of opportunity. We can not only grow our economy because of the relative stability but we can also change how politics in this country is done forever. We can confine the politics of hate, of us versus them, this tribe versus that to the dustbin of history.

We can ensure that every politician we elect, in whichever rank is focused on building bridges instead of burning them. We must ensure that every politician we elect is friends with other communities and not a tribal nationalist. We can transform our political landscape in three short years and Kenya will not be the same again. If the fight against corruption is sustained, then we can be sure of a brighter future simply because taming Raila may have the benefit of slaying the dragons that have bedeviled our country for generations. Maybe, just maybe, the handshake is the perfect opportunity to birth a new Kenya, referendum or not.

Mr Bichachi is a communication consultant. [email protected]