The Biblical character Samson died when he brought down a Philistine temple. He did this by pushing apart the pillars of the Temple of Dagon, bringing down the roof and killing himself and thousands of Philistines who had captured him.

Opposition leaders Raila Odinga and Kalonzo Musyoka appear to be bent on exercising the Samsonian option by pushing apart the pillars that hold Kenyan society. How else can one describe calls for secession? What would one call the threat to return to mass action against the Kenya Kwanza government when such action has proved to be inimical to law and order? Yet, going by their recent public utterances, this is what these leaders intend.

Whilst Kalonzo is relatively new to the subversion of government, Raila is the bete noire of insurrections. Not for the first time, he has been involved in events that undermine legitimate rule. He was detained for his alleged involvement in the August 1, 1982 coup against the government of Daniel Moi. He was a beneficiary of the violently disputed presidential elections of 2007, subsequently becoming PM in the detente that followed the deaths of thousands. More recently, he swore himself in as president following the elections of 2017, which he boycotted after a court-sanctioned repeat of the presidential polls.