Opposition Chief Raila Odinga who is currently on 21-day medical leave has been undertaking his duties from home including participating in government business.
Those close to the ODM leader said he still gets briefings from government officials and has been in constant consultation with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
Reports say before three Cabinet secretaries for their development tour of Western Kenya, Mr. Odinga is said to have been briefed of the same at him Karen home by Devolution CS Eugen Wamalwa.
Raila Odinga has been actively involved in the reorganization of the National Assembly and Senate committees.
Raila is said to taken time last week to reconcile warring factions in his party in a dispute pitting his deputy Wycliffe Oparanya against Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna.
Sifuna and Oparanya had fallen out over the ongoing tours led by Governor Oparanya and CS Wamalwa in Western Kenya with Sifuna leading youthful leaders from the same region.
The EU envoy has increasingly entrenched himself in the government since the handshake between him and his political brother President Uhuru Kenyatta.
According to political analysts, the President is believed to have brought the ODM leader on board to take his rising defiance.
Mr. Odinga has increasingly entrenched himself in Jubilee after the March 9 political pact with the President that gave rise to the Building Bridges Initiative. Political analyst Javas Bigambo says President Kenyatta brought on board Mr. Odinga to “tame his rising defiance”.
“That co-option had to come with veiled power that is unstructured and unofficial, hence his apparent influence in government circles,” political analysts Javas Bigambo told the Nation.
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According to Senator Irungu Kang’ata Odinga has wielded a lot of power form the government and now even has the ears of the President’s men both in Jubilee Party and his administration.
“In several societies, there are often persons who don’t have formal positions but they wield great power. For Raila Odinga, the Handshake has enhanced his voice and impact,” the Senate Majority Chief Whip told a local daily.
Kang’ata even compared Raila’s influence in the Jubilee administration to Deng Xiaoping in China between 1979 and 1990: “Xiaoping wasn’t the President but everyone knew his impact.”
