How life has changed for Raila after polls

By Geoffrey Mosoku, Mangoa Mosota and Cyrus Ombati

Following the March 4 general election outcome and the subsequent Supreme Court ruling upholding Uhuru Kenyatta’s win, life has changed for former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, including loss of trappings of power.

As Raila grapples with diminishing political influence in the country, having been left only as the head of the Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD), albeit outside the two legislative institutions, so too have the symbols of power that he bore shrunk.

The transition from OM and the President’s co-principal in accordance with the 2008 power-sharing deal with President Kibaki, to elder citizen and political party captain, has been further complicated by what his supporters see as a plot by Jubilee Alliance to humiliate, undermine and eventually tame his influence and social standing.

The changing lifestlyle of Raila was discernible when twice last week he was blocked from accessing the VIP lounges at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport.

In  both cases, what came to the fore was whether by virtue of having been a co-principal in the power-sharing deal, he should not have direct access to the airport’s VIPIII lounge which Kenya Airports Authority says is the preserve of serving presidents and their deputies, visiting heads of States and Prime ministers.

Also affected by the blockade was his wife Ida Odinga, something that triggered outrage within CORD ranks in Parliament, with claims being made that President Uhuru Kenyatta’s administration had shown disrespect for Mr Odinga out of political considerations. 

MPs from Mr Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) were angry over what they term as deliberate attempts by the Jubilee government to undermine him and warned that this was slowly stoking tension among Kenyans who voted for him in the last election.

Before the election, Mr Odinga had more than 40 bodyguards, drawn from the Recce Company, General Service Unit’s team that protects VIPs, but the situation drastically changed after the power shift. 

A senior security officer told The County Weekly that Mr Odinga has been assigned only two guards, while his wife Ida has none. An official at the ODM secretariat, who asked not to be named for protocol reasons, was blunt:

“There are concerted efforts to frustrate and humiliate him and this will not be good for this country.”

He said that due to the limited number of security officers assigned to Mr Odinga, it was not possible for the security guards to rest.

 Senior leader    

“Mr Odinga has accepted the Supreme Court’s ruling and has agreed to move on but he must be treated as a senior leader. Anybody trying to belittle his position should know that this country may never be the same again should anything bad happen to him,” warned the official.

When he visited Kisumu recently in the company of Margit HellwigBoette, a German Ambassador, it was clear things have changed for him.

While opening a modern school financed by the German government, he had two officers struggling to shield him from surging crowds. Most of his security was left to a horde of ODM youths clad in black suits.

When it started drizzling, it was an ODM youth who shielded him with an umbrella, a sign of how things have changed.

There were only a handful of police officers.

The day was a deep contrast from the past when armed security officials covered his public functions.

From Kisumu International Airport to the venue of the celebrations at the stadium, jubilant crowds cheered him.

Recently, Ida, who was accustomed to about six officers while in public did not have any bodyguard. There was no lead or chase car.

Both Mr Odinga and former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka who was his running mate on the CORD ticket now have to contend with the Nairobi traffic gridlocks after their chase cars were withdrawn.

At public events, there has been confusion on where they should be placed in line with protocol arrangements. But because of their past status, they are usually accommodated in the programme with some of the speakers having difficulties on how to address them.

Own staff   

But Mr Odinga has been magnanimous about his ‘tribulations’. He has likened his detractors to a witch in the dark who is caught pants down.

“A witch is exposed when carrying out his activities in the dark, when suddenly there is light and everyone witnesses the entire evil thing he has been doing,” he said.

According to his aides, Mr Odinga now operates between his home in Karen and two private offices in Upper Hill and at times Orange House, the ODM party headquarters.

Whenever he is retreating to write his memoirs, Mr Odinga prefers to use Raila Odinga Centre (ROC) or the exclusive Nairobi Club.

He spends most of his time in consultations with his local and international friends on political, business and diplomacy issues.

For political meetings, Mr Odinga who has vowed to keep President Uhuru’s team in check through the opposition convenes them at either the former CORD Presidential Secretariat, also in Upper Hill or Orange House in Nairobi’s Milimani area.

Unlike retired President Mwai Kibaki with whom he shared power under the National Accord and Reconciliation Act, Mr Odinga does not enjoy the services of staff paid by the State. He now has his own staff, majorly drawn from his private pool operating from the two offices in Upper Hill.

His former elaborate detail was withdrawn soon after Uhuru was declared President, and the number of bodyguards went down and the number of vehicles he was assigned also reduced.

This prompted him and Mr Musyoka to seek a clarification from President Uhuru after which each was accorded at least 12 bodyguards. They were also to be given a vehicle because of their immediate status in the Government. 

In spite of this assurance, Mr odinga is said to be having only four bodyguards and the lead car he was to be accorded has not been delivered. The four use a car belonging to ODM secretariat as a lead car.

Foreign dignitary 

Just like any ordinary Kenyan, the former PM has to wait in traffic. But as an elder statesman, now he only enjoys this VIP treatment when outside the country where he is received as a foreign dignitary. 

 Janet Ong’era, an ODM senator and former ODM Executive Director says Mr Odinga should be treated as a statesman and accorded all privileges and the respect he deserves for his immense contribution for reforms in Kenya.

“It is absurd that some mandarins operating from the Office of the President want to subject him to humiliation. Mr Odinga is a leader by right having received over five million votes,” she said.

ODM MPs Shakeel Shabbir, Fred Outa and Opondo Kaluma said the State was out to humiliate Mr Odinga instead of giving him protection. “Mr Odinga is not the President but he remains as popular and as popular as ever,” said Mr Outa.

“He has sat on stones and fought for the country’s democratic process, and must be respected,” Mr Shabbir said. Mr Kaluma said: “Mr Odinga remains a national leader who is highly respected and mistreating him will undermine national cohesion,” he said.