Odinga is running his fifth presidential race. Why the outcome means so much for Kenya

Leo ni Leo. invazekana (Today is the day. It is possible). These are the Kiswahili songs of the President of Raila Odinga campaign anthem, The 77-year-old veteran Kenyan politician has not lost his optimism despite contesting for the fifth time. He was in the race in 1997, 2007, 2013 and 2017.

This time he is looking like a front runner. This is due to the strategic alliances they have built, as well as the fact that incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta has mobilized the state machinery to support him in the August 2022 election.

He has come close to victory twice before this. The 2007 election result was highly disputed and ended with sad result, death due to widespread violence more than 1100 people and 600 000 were displaced.

It was an election that he and his supporters believed he had won against the incumbent Mawai Kibaki. It could have been so. An independent commission set up to investigate the survey found widespread misconduct. This concluded That it was impossible to determine who won.

Then ten years later Odinga succeeded in cancellation Uhuru Kenyatta wins first round in Kenya’s Supreme Court. This Governance That the Election Commission had failed to conduct the Presidential elections in a manner that was consistent with the directions of the Constitution.

Kenyatta won the race again, Joe Odinga boycotted, Their reason was that not enough reforms were made to protect the ballot against the practices that had canceled the previous election.

This time Odinga represents an alliance, azimio la umos (Kiswahili for “pledge of unity”). It has brought together 26 parties dominated by Odinga’s own Orange Democratic Movement and incumbent President Kenyatta’s Jubilee Party. with 20 governor And members of more than 100 national constituencies, the coalition potentially represents a massive national electoral dissemination.

Long viewed as an anti-incumbency candidate, Odinga has a general touch that resonates with Kenyans, who have since felt left out of the power matrix controlled by the two ethnic groups. Independence in 1963 – Kikuyu and Kalenjin.

However, this time he is the candidate of the ruling party.

Strategist Odinga

Odinga comes from a political family, He is the son of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, the first Vice President of Kenya after independence. Much has been made about his family background, and his detractors suggest he is driven by a sense of entitlement.

But he has also built credibility in himself. as before political prisoner between 1982 and 1988, again as a Member of Parliament as well as Prime Minister (2008-2013). He has also established himself as a veteran opposition leader and perennial presidential contender.

He is considered a master strategist, a populist at times, and an excellent mobilizer, an ardent follower among his Luo relatives.

Recently, Odinga has been officially approved by outgoing President Uhuru Kenyatta, his rival in the last election. Their families have, historically, been rivals. But in 2018 after the bitterly disputed 2017 election, the two heroes agreed to a national reform framework, called a . was marked by symbolic handshake,

as a result of bridge building initiative, The stated aim was to try and counter the ‘winner-take-all’ nature of Kenyan elections, and ensure that the country never experienced electoral violence again. Reform packages did not have a long shelf life. it was later governed unconstitutional,

The 2018 rapprochement marked the end of the alliance between President Kenyatta and his Vice President William Ruto. Together they won the election against Odinga.

The ‘handshake’ moment was the point at which Odinga began to position himself to challenge for the presidency against Ruto. And with the help of incumbent President Kenyatta, he has a real chance.

In the absence of credible opinion polls, the belief that it is a tight two horse race Between Odinga and William Ruto of the Kenya Kwanzaa Alliance. I believe the outcome will be determined by collective mobilization capacity and the support of coalition factions. There are currently no resultant contenders beyond both and their allies in the Azimio and Kenya Kwanzaa voting blocs.

potential kingmaker

Broadly speaking, Kenyan politics is not about ideological positions or specific policy differences but about the ability to form strategic alliances – largely built along ethnic lines – to distribute plunder of power to the claimants.

As a result, no presidential candidate in Kenya has run on the same party (alliance) platform as in previous elections. There is significant trading before any election cycle. For the 2022 election, more than 180 members of the Senate and National Assembly have shifted their allegiance from the party that sponsored him in 2017.

Odinga’s new platform has been designed keeping these things in mind.

Beyond Kenyatta, Odinga has forged a formidable coalition made up of seasoned politicians and political stalwarts. These stalwarts from ethnic constituencies are expected to garner communal support for the Azimio candidate.

Kenyan politics is still characterized by ethnic interests. To this day, Uhuru’s Kikuyu and Ruto’s Kalenjino passed dominance Kenyan presidency and civil service. In his candidate Odinga, Luos has a realistic chance at first.

His victory would signal a seismic shift in power symmetry, as no Luo has held the presidency before.

To achieve this feat, Odinga has brought on board:

  • Kalonjo Musyoka of the Viper Party, representing the Kamba ethnic constituency

  • Gideon Moi of the Kenya National African Union Party, a sitting senator and son of the late Daniel Arap Moi, former president

  • Ngilu, a charity of the National Indradhanush Coalition (NARC) and one of the few women to have served in various governments

  • Martha Karua of NARC-Kenya and a former government minister and unsuccessful presidential candidate in 2013.

Baba or Hustler?

Kenyatta is Asked Kenyan Two

Support this old man (Odinga) and help him protect our interests and heritage. When this young man (Ruto) moves into the future, we will … consider him.

This indicates a generational competition between Kenya’s old political family, which is seen as stable and reassuring, and “young hustlerDepicted as “Vice President, flamboyant, adamant and cunning.

Kenya has come a long way from the orgy of the 2007 election violence. Yet its political trajectory is still fraught with lingering uncertainty.

Odinga’s Agenda

If Odinga wins, he will have the whole tray. of Kenya National debt The portfolio has grown to US$54.3 billion. the world bank warning country regarding its ability to meet its debt repayment obligations. Odinga has promised address itPartially by renegotiating short-term commercial loans with penal interest rates.

economic revival and deal with constantly High poverty levels are also their stated priorities. He too claims to worry about local corruption and justice reform.

of Kenya sick health system Not fit for purpose and Odinga speaks”babacare“A program to ensure universal healthcare with well-equipped facilities.

Skill Development Technical training is one of their priority concerns in view of the high rate of youth unemployment. It currently stands at approx. 39%,

Finally, Odinga came up with a hypothesis social Security system Known as Azimyo La Umoja, a type of welfare state with a monthly stipend of US$60 for poor Kenyans.

But all these policy areas broadly concern the last elections and both kwanzaa (Ruto) and Azimyo (Odinga) combine.

The election of August 2022 represents an epoch-making moment that will either define its future or reflect its past.

Source link

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Previous post Russia turns its diplomats into disinformation warriors
Next post Roma rights advocates warn of rising hate speech: Many ‘don’t even know’ they’re being racist