Why we might remember Raila both as our hero and villain

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga during prayers organised by ODM women in Nairobi, on February 10, 2025, ahead of Africa Union Commission elections. [File, Standard]

After ODM leader Raila Odinga's quest for the chairmanship of the African Union Commission came a cropper, he has seemingly all but resumed his co-perch at the pinnacle of Kenya's politics. At a time when the William Ruto-led Kenya Kwanza regime is unpopular for, among other things, its handling of the economy, abductions-and, in some cases, execution-of critics and self-embarrassment on a myriad diplomatic fronts, Mr Odinga, in an MoU with Dr Ruto, has elected to self-conscript into its ranks going into the 2027 electoral finale. And the very prospect of his joining Kenya Kwanza divides opinion.

While some, including his staunch supporters, want him to work with Ruto, others, including a different section of his supporters, want him to join the Kalonzo-Gachagua-Karua-Wamalwa-Matiang'i opposition axis that seeks to unseat the man from Sugoi. Going by statements attributable to his acolytes within ODM, including those who not-long-ago joined the Ruto Cabinet, however, it's just a matter of time before we witness yet another "earthquake" in the country's politics-a Ruto-Raila political partnership that promises nothing more than the solipsistic sharing of power.