The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold William Ruto’s declaration as President-elect has shattered Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition leader Raila Odinga’s dreams, potentially ending his four-decade political career.
Despite his political clout and acumen, the dismissal of the case by a seven-judge bench led by Chief Justice Martha Koome on Monday marked an anticlimactic end to Mr Odinga’s ambition to become the country’s president.
The ODM leader who ran for the top seat alongside Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua as his running mate also lauded Azimio supporters for standing with the party.
Mr Odinga, who was born on January 7, 1945, to the country’s first Vice-President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, served as the MP for Lang’ata from 1992 to 2013.
He first won the Lang’ata seat on a Ford Kenya ticket before he retained it on a National Development Party ticket in 1997, National Alliance Rainbow Coalition (Narc) in 2002 and ODM in 2007.
Once the Nyanza throne was secured and Oile dislodged from his throne, Raila ran for the presidency in 1997 coming third with 665,725 votes behind former Presidents Daniel Arap Moi and Mwai Kibaki.
Following the peace accord he signed with former President Mwai Kibaki following the disputed 2007 elections, the Azimio leader also served as Prime Minister of Kenya between 2008 and 2013.
His successive strategies have seen him bringing together powerful coalitions: Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) in 2013 and National Super Alliance (NASA) in 2017 with the help of his long-time allies; Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka, Amani National Congress leader (ANC) Musalia Mudavadi and Ford-Kenya Leader Moses Wetangula.
However, power struggles within NASA would dent the Union finally leading to a falling out in 2021 where Mudavadi and Wetangula moved to team up with Raila’s top competitor Deputy President William Ruto ahead of the 2022 general elections.
Mr. Odinga’s political journey has, however, been fraught with ups and downs, but on numerous occasions, he has risen from the ashes and continued to fight.
The ODM leader was imprisoned for a record nine years and was linked to the 1982 coup alongside his late father. Mr. Odinga was charged with treason, and though the charge was later dropped, he spent the next decade in detention. His father was placed under house arrest.
Released in February 1988, Raila was again arrested in September for pro-democracy and human rights campaigns in a period when Kenyans were silenced by the government’s iron fist.
Despite his statement that yesterday’s decision is not the end of their movement, political analysts say Dr. Ruto’s chances of serving two terms are “extremely high.”
Even though the presidency appears to be a foregone conclusion for the ODM leader, his supporters believe that his achievements in the fight for democratic space and second liberation will continue to stand out.
Mr Odinga and Ms Karua were instrumental in the fight to bring multiparty politics to Kenya.
He is also credited with playing a significant role in the passage of the progressive 2010 constitution.
