Raila Odinga has rightly been called an enigma and has over built his standing in the nation and continent.
He is presently regarded as an African statesman but in Kenya he is best known as the most prominent opposition leader despite stints serving in government. What has made him a powerful and formidable opposition leader has been his brand of populist politics and ability to unearth corruption scandals long before anyone has seen them and while the government of the day is hell bent on denying anything is amiss.
Such ability has seen many take whatever Raila Odinga says as the gospel truth. As the Northern Collector Tunnel debate he began rages on, people are asking whether this is open such instance where he is correct again and those in power are wrong.
Here are 5 six such instances where Raila has correctly revealed scandals and time has proven him right;
The presence of hired mercenaries in Kenya to conduct government dirty deals; – the first time he brought this up it appeared he was just seeking relevance by a wild crazy claim. Then his claims persisted and he was proven right when the Artur brothers were discovered in the country and even implicated in the Standard Group raid
The claims that the ECK and the government was setting up to rig the 2007 elections;- given that in Africa every opposition leader cries foul at any given opportunity, no one expected the 2007 elections would witness such massive mismanagement and government interference at that level. Everyone from foreign observers to Kriegler to the late Kivuitu himself admitted of the interference.
The massive looting of money at the NYS;– given how the Nation Youth Service was undertaking different projects and gaining much traction, Raila’s claim that there was more than 800 million lost at the service appeared to be mere rabble-rousing. By the time the dust settled, no one from the then CS Anne Waiguru to the normal citizen could explain what happened to over 791 million shillings paid out in crazy tender sagas.
When he insisted that the ICC suspects should be tried at in Kenya;- the ICC no longer hangs like a dark cloud over Kenyan leadership. However, the victims are yet to get justice and the local courts have not prosecuted anyone. When Raila Odinga tried to marshal his number in the parliament to set up a local tribunal the likes of current Deputy President were shouting ‘don’t be vague let’s go to Hague’. A couple of months and a year late all were blaming Raila for taking them to Hague while the Jubilee government wanted to even withdraw Kenya from the Court itself as a member.
Mau forest water crisis;- the Mau Forest crisis is perhaps the closest relation to the North Collector Tunnel. Both are environmental centered situations and Raila seems going against the grain. Back then he was risking significant political capital when he demanded that people be evicted from Mau due to the adverse effects their settlement there had on water catchment areas. It would be one of the factors that would see him lose clout in Rift Valley but as has become the pattern, once more he was correct.
Perhaps he is actually an elder who sees far when seated than children when standing. As Jakoyo Midiwo aptly summed it up, ‘When Raila says your wife is pregnant with twins, don’t ask questions about how did he know or was he there. Go start shopping (for the babies),”
