Raila criticised for invoking Uhuru's name in deal with Ruto

ODM leader Raila Odinga’s assertion that former President Uhuru Kenyatta calmed tensions for the Kenya Kwanza administration by advising the Opposition chief to have a sitdown with President William Ruto has sparked criticism.

A section of politicians has termed Raila’s claims as a convenience to cover his political mischief and stem the tidal wave of political backlash from his action.

They claim he was attempting to cling to Uhuru’s political coattails to salvage his dwindling political fortunes after jumping into a ship sailing in a turbulent sea.

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ODM, they say, was trying to appease millions of voters who backed Raila’s presidential bid and are now accusing him of betrayal.

Former Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui cautioned that Uhuru would only advocate for well-structured talks.

“Although I do not speak for Uhuru Kenyatta, for the country to descend to anarchy would be a cause for major concern. However, power sharing without a long-term commitment to resolve matters raised by Gen Zs is suicidal.”

Former Bahati MP Kimani Ngunjiri says Raila had invoked the name of the former president to gain the confidence of Mt Kenya people, who are accusing him of betraying their cause.

Ngunjiri says Raila had exposed himself as a leader who could not be trusted as he had given several conflicting accounts on what transpired before he accepted to work with President Ruto.

“He initially said the four ODM leaders who were given Cabinet Secretary posts went to work with the government on their own. He told us that President Ruto had begged him to help him stabilise the country following the challenges brought about by the demonstrators, only to fabricate another new story,” said Ngunjiri.

Political analyst Andrew Nyabuto said although he could not fully vouch for Raila’s claims, Uhuru has a good grasp of events that pose a threat to national stability and would not allow the country to go to the dogs.

“Everybody knew the country was on edge following the Gen Zs demonstrations that rocked major towns and trading centres across 40 counties. Uhuru as a former president has a network that can effectively brief him on the state of the country and trigger him into seeking solutions to restore stability,” said Nyabuto.

Nyabuto added that the claims by Raila, though unverifiable, “further thrusts Uhuru into the centre of the country’s power matrix where he is the key player in its stabilisation.”

The political analyst added that Uhuru remained a dominant political force and that is why many leaders including DP Rigathi Gachagua, Kalonzo Musyoka and Eugene Wamwalwa were aligning themselves with him.

“Raila has also realised that he needs Uhuru to advance his political cause and more so redeem his image,” added Nyabuto.

Others argue that Uhuru has over the past few months evolved into a dominant political force in Mt Kenya and many political actors were undoubtedly portraying themselves as having his blessings.

“Raila is engaging in high-level political mischief to captivate the hearts and souls of Mt Kenya voters whom he betrayed. He is using Uhuru’s name to sanitise himself. But unfortunately, he has put his legs very wide asunder, one in UDA and the other in Azimio. Nobody will trust him as he talks from both sides of his mouth,” says Kabue Mathenge, a political commentator. 

Lawyer Hari Gakinya says Raila was being deceptive in invoking Uhuru’s name “to continue reaping dividends from his deal with Ruto while at the same time seeking to remain relevant on the national political scene. He cannot eat his pie and have it.”

He says the ODM leader was seeking to sanitise his image so that he could pull out of the political arrangement with Ruto at his convenient time and vie for the presidency should his AUC chairmanship bid flop.

Hari, however, notes that the retired president was mandated by the law to play a consultative and advisory role to the government and the people of Kenya.

“We know the former president would be concerned if the country were to plunge into anarchy as he is playing a key role in conflict resolution in other parts of Africa, but he cannot exercise conflict resolution role in Kenya casually and recklessly that entrenches a regime that does not enjoy the confidence of the people,” he argues.

A political activist, Njihia Muchiri, claims that Senator Oburu Oginga and MP Peter Kaluma had already announced to Kenyans that ODM would be joining the government before ODM leaders were appointed to the Cabinet.

“It is, therefore, cheap propaganda for Raila to tell us that he was prompted by Uhuru to enter into a political deal with President Ruto while his hatchet men had already broadcast the deal to all Kenyans,” he says.