Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has never been one to tip-toe around issues. His splashes into political whirlpools have always been noisy, and his dalliance with President Kenyatta has been the definition of messy.
Then there is the matter of the President’s deputy, William Ruto, with whom Raila is in a sparring battle.
“I have nothing personal against Mr Ruto,” he insists. But he pulls no punches when he talks about a man who was solidly in his corner 13 years ago when a disputed presidential election plunged the country into chaos.
“Ruto is supposed to be the President’s assistant, but he is missing in action. I don’t know who is side-lining who. If somebody chooses to isolate himself, he should not blame other people.”
While Ruto’s allies say he has been relegated to watching State activities from the benches, Raila insists that the DP is briefed on the goings-on in the country.
“Ruto is part of the handshake. He has been consulted on what is happening. Everyone has been involved.
“If I felt frustrated and side-lined, I would take a walk. Jaramogi was a vice-president and when he found it untenable to stay in government, he stepped aside,” Raila said.
The two leaders had a chance meeting on October 3 during the Kip Keino Classic athletic event at the Nyayo National Stadium. It was a cordial affair with both men seated side by side. As Raila and Ruto watched the runners tear up the track, two different races with a presidency as the main prize must have occupied their minds.
The first is the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) while the second is the debate around President Kenyatta’s succession. While Raila continues to talk up the BBI, insisting that it will be crucial to the nation’s well-being in the future, Ruto has consistently poked holes in it.
For every BBI brick that Raila lays, the deputy president has gone after it with a sledgehammer.
“People are opposing what they have not even read,” Raila said. “These are anarchists who don’t want order in the country. BBI is not for Uhuru or Raila. It is for the people. Let them be the judges.”
The promise of a BBI report has been long coming, though. Postponements have rocked its official presentation to the people. Yet Raila remains hopeful that once presented, the document will be key in solving historical issues.
When asked when the report will be ready, he replies with a curt, “Soon. I cannot be any clearer than that.”
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The document, Raila reiterates, belongs to the people. “If they reject it, that is their democratic right. We will go back to the status quo.”
The second race that has set Ruto and Raila on a collision course is the thorny issue of succession politics.
The second race that has set Ruto and Raila on a collision course is the thorny issue of succession politics.
Questions on political ambition and intention have always elicited a straight answer from Raila, but this time he is more measured. Perhaps age has mellowed him and he has learnt to play his cards close to his chest.
His associates say the former premier has in the past been too candid about his intentions thus gifting his opponents with information to thwart his game plan.
“We have agreed with the President that we will not talk about politics until 2022,” Raila said. “We should let the Government focus on delivering what it promised the people in 2017. They have not done what they said they would do and some are busy campaigning. What happened to the jobs that were promised? Now they are issuing people with wheelbarrows and telling us what they will do in two years.”
HERE IS THE FULL VIDEO OF RAILA’S INTERVIEW ON KTN NEWS:
