From: nyaware@ . . .

Raila always has away out

By Banda Nyaware

Once more Hon. Raila Odinga has pulled something out of the bag that nobody saw coming. He let Kalonzo get what Kalonzo wanted without a fight. Hon Kalonzo was probably anticipating a fierce court battle. This would have made him come out a hero no matter what direction the court case for ODM-K would have taken.

Kalonzo was definitely the small man who was ready to face up what he perceived as a bully. Now Hon Kalonzo will have to invent himself in the weeks coming to be a real fighter in the main arena. Any mileage he hoped to secure out of sympathy for fighting a bully is now evaporated unless he also has something in the bag for us. One thing that is clear so far is that he least understands the whole road of Kenyan reform agenda. What perhaps constitute reform to Mr Kalonzo is securing the luxury of the state house. This appears to be the image he has put out there to the majority of Kenyans who were deceived in the past that he had something good in him.

That Raila and Balala went to court for the Media bill instead of rescuing what appeared like a crumbling ODM-K, was a tell tale sign. Kalonzo ought to have picked the clue then. He would have known at that point that no one was actually on his tail, chasing him for what is just one of the two hundred registration certificates of a political party that means didly white out people's endorsement.

On the other hand, most people will agree with my opinion that the Langata MP Hon Raila Odinga rarely thinks normal. He always appears to crave the impossible. Kenya is dotted with millions and millions of people's faces afflicted with despair. They go through their daily lives with little hope.

Probably time has come for Kenyans to think deeply about Raila's Presidency. It is time they start relating Raila's political protagonism to their disillusioned state. Majority of developed countries were hatched out by the ingenious of individuals like Raila.

Rome, Great Britain, United States of America, Japan etc owes their power and magnificence to this end. The individuals saw possibilities where others probably chose to be complacent.

It is hard to imagine Raila as an ordinary President. I think he wants to be the kind of President who people will remember many years after he is long gone. He wants to do things that are out of the ordinary to common Kenyan population. For more than a decade Raila has spiced Kenyan political landscape, that despite the boring majority politicians in our parliament, there is always something to talk about from his creativity.

What if Raila's skills was placed on poor infrastructure, insecurity, tribalism, corruption and mismanagement that we see today in Kenyan system. It should not take him long before he pulls similar tricks out of the bag to answer all these problems.

I think most people who have had troubled past have a misplaced fear of Raila, but for an ordinary Kenyan who has never offended anyone, this must be the quality leadership people should invest in. At this point, Raila should be seen as one of the greatest assets the country has ever had and must utilize.

Banda Nyaware (political observer )