Odinga repackaging himself, his message for the fourth quest

ODM leader Raila Odinga today officially kicked off his fourth journey towards securing the presidency with a raft of pledges if he is elected to the highest political office in the land.

His key allies and handlers confided to the Saturday Nation that this time round, Mr Odinga will present to Kenya a totally transformed candidate.

Viewed by Opposition insiders as the man “with one last bullet left in his gun”, Mr Odinga has put together a stronger team of campaign handlers and strategists, who are all keen to ensure he does not misfire in his quest to wrest power from President Uhuru Kenyatta, who will be defending his seat as the Jubilee Party candidate.

“Today we are going to unveil to Kenyans a totally new and fresh leader,” Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho, also the party’s deputy leader, said in an interview.

“Katika hizi siku zijazo mtamuona Raila mwenye sura mpya na nguvu mpya (In coming days, you are going to witness a new Raila with renewed energy).

“This time we are seeing through Raila as President. And he will be President kwa sababu ya akili zake za kimapinduzi na nguvu mpya (because of his reformist agenda and renewed energy).

INCLUSIVE TEAM
His sentiments were echoed by National Super Alliance (Nasa) co-principal, Senator Moses Wetang’ula.

Speaking to The Saturday Nation from Zanzibar, where he is on an official visit, the Ford-Kenya leader said there was no way the opposition would field a repeat Raila-Kalonzo ticket without injecting in it something new and adjusting a few things to make the ticket sharper.

The Nation has established that Mr Odinga has set up a strong but lean and well-organised secretariat that also includes professionals.

He has equally set up an ICT centre in Nairobi’s Upper Hill area, with a technical team whose members are from Kenya as well as South Africa.

The former Prime Minister is also said to be under instructions from his handlers to act presidential and allow only limited access, even to the media.

According to Dr Boni Khalwale, a member of Nasa’s Steering Committee, Mr Odinga had in previous elections come under criticism from opponents because he was projected as the sole face of the opposition coalition.

“We are now in the process of building an all-inclusive team, meaning that our principals will conduct business as a team, with Raila only as the best among equals,” said Dr Khalwale.

NELSON MANDELA
Offering to be a one-term president is part of the teamwork.

Political scientist Adams Oloo said Mr Odinga’s gesture was a sign of maturity, selflessness and magnanimity.

Dr Oloo, a member of Mr Odinga’s think-tank, equates this move to that exhibited by Nelson Mandela, who stepped down as South African president after serving one term.

Mr Odinga has described himself as the Biblical Joshua.

When he was unveiled as the Nasa flag-bearer on Thursday last week, he said that once he gets Kenyans to the promised land, his job will be done, a refrain that he repeated today.

Mr Odinga’s bid has been buoyed by electoral victories by his age mates and friends across Africa in recent years.

OPPOSITION FORCE

In 2015, for instance, Tanzania’s former minister for Works, Mr John Pombe Magufuli became President of the neighbouring country, only three years after he had attended an ODM delegates conference, which endorsed Mr Odinga to run for the presidency.

Since 2014, several incumbents have lost in presidential elections to an opposition politician.

This wave swept aside Malawi’s Joyce Banda in 2014, Nigeria’s Goodluck Jonathan in 2015 and Ghana’s John Mahama as well as Gambia’s Yahya Jammeh, last year.

Although there are five presidential polls slated for 2017 in Africa, only two incumbents – Rwanda’s Paul Kagame and Kenya’s Uhuru Kenyatta – will defend their seats in August.

The Rwanda elections will be held four days before Kenya’s.

INCUMBENTS

In Angola and Liberia, presidents Eduardo de Santos and Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf will be stepping down.

Democratic Republic of Congo’s Joseph Kabila has also expressed willingness to quit office on December 19 once the constitutional term of his tenure expires.

Mr Odinga, who makes a stab at the presidency for the fourth time, will also be trying to emulate the rare feats of Senegal leader Abdoulaye Wade, who was fourth-time lucky in 2000, after being the face of the Opposition in Senegal for nearly two decades.

Nigeria’s Buhari also unsuccessfully contested for the presidency in 2003, 2007 and 2011.

Be that as it may, majority of African presidents usually win against their opponents.