Looks like Baba's been left 'talking to himself' as Kenyans move on

When ODM Leader Raila Odinga addressed the media over Saba Saba protests at Serena Hotel in Nairobi on July 7, 2025. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

The gang of men behind him said it all: Raila Odinga aka Baba, the former doyen of Opposition now running a recruitment bureau, primarily consulting for Kenya Kwanza government, appeared insecure.

He needed sufficient numbers to back him up to get his message across: Kenyans, he said, needed a multigenerational, nationwide conversation. What about, he did not specify.

Neither did Baba reveal why he felt the need to convene this national conversation, after he and Prezzo Ruto had been in private conversations for the last one year, or if he had been privy to a multiplicity of issues that Prezzo Ruto had embarked on, to the chagrin of the citizens.

I will not repeat the slur that Baba’s silence is observance of “table manners,” meaning he’s been quiet because he’s busy eating. After all, I can swear Baba’s girth has not extended an inch since he started consulting for Kenya Kwanza.

All I know is that Baba has occasionally voiced his disappointment that some suspect deals, like Adani’s airport modernisation project, was revoked before take-off. Rather, I am persuaded that Baba, at 80, deserves a break from the rough and tumble of politics because he’s done his bit.

As for this new call for more talk, again, I can relate to his call. Old men and women spend most of their lives talking, sometimes to themselves. Baba’s isn’t that old, yet, but as Kenyans move on without him, he might find he’s talking to himself.