By Makau Mutua Updated Sunday, November 2nd 2014 at 00:00 GMT
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Whenever opposition doyen Raila
Odinga sneezes, the side opposite catches a cold. Despite being
declared the loser in last year’s election, Mr Odinga remains the
centre of gravity of Kenya’s politics. Mr Odinga bestrides Kenya’s
political landscape like a colossus — he’s the country’s number
one newsmaker. Newspapers and TV stations carry his mug at the drop
of a hat. He’s not only the news. He sells them. He’s loved and
loathed in equal measure. But not even his most ardent haters can
afford to ignore him. Which begs the question — why is the former
Lang’ata MP such an intoxicating public figure? Wherefore does his
buckets of charm come from? Methinks I know. Let me unravel the man’s
mysteries. First, Mr Odinga is the most intriguing public figure in
Kenya today. But he’s not an intriguer. In William Shakespeare’s
Twelfth Night, a character opines thus — “[s]ome men are born
great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon
‘em.” Rarely do people hit this trifecta. But Mr Odinga is one of
the chosen few for which all three nuggets of wisdom are true. When
Mr Odinga plans, his opponents think he’s plotting. When he’s
sleeping, his detractors think he’s awake. He flummoxes his foes
and unintentionally beguiles his friends. That’s because of his
humility. Men with such commanding social and political capital can
wield it with caprice. Except he doesn’t. His person and persona
are public institutions. Second, he’s the leader of Kenya’s Left.
Yes — I know some of you think such a thing doesn’t exist. Or
that if it does, Mr Odinga is its chief betrayer. To which I say,
chill sisters and brothers. There are germs of the Left and the Right
in Kenya’s political history. These germs are carried in the bodies
of living human beings. Mr Odinga carries the germs of the Left. So
does Chief Justice Willy Mutunga. Presidents Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel
arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki, and Uhuru Kenyatta hue to the right. Their
faction has always ruled Kenya. Mr Odinga’s has only tasted power
at the margins. That’s why CJ Mutunga’s ascendancy to the
pinnacle is a historical anomaly. Let me tell you why Mr Odinga isn’t
the Grinch of the Left. In both liberal and illiberal states,
ideological purity is a one-way ticket to political marginalisation.
In Kenya, which falls in this category, Left politicians must of
necessity be ideologically polygamous. Otherwise, ideological
monogamy will consign them to political obscurity. One hand can’t
clap. I know it’s unpalatable to many — including me — to see
Mr Odinga flanked by former KANU apparatchiks Moses Wetang’ula and
Kalonzo Musyoka. But Agwambo has no choice if he wants to craft a
plausible coalition. He can’t unilaterally disarm — and foreswear
some of the tactics of the Right — because the Left won’t even
have a heartbeat. The Left is of necessity contaminated. Third, Mr
Odinga has no heir apparent. I know some folks say —
tongue-in-cheek — that he must retire from politics. They say he
must give way to a younger generation. That’s either silly or
mischievous. I hear them saying that they want the mantle of
leadership to be given to them — by Mr Odinga — on silver
platter. That’s a heap of nonsense. In politics, nothing is given
unless you want to be a puppet of the giver. Power must be taken, not
doled out like candy. The Odinga naysayers are carrying water —
loads of it — for somebody else. They should fight him man-a-mano
for the Opposition. They should stop begging and go get it, or shut
the hell up. See also: Is ODM in self-destruction? Fourth, Kenya
isn’t a one-party state. If either Cord or ODM disintegrate — or
Mr Odinga leaves the scene prematurely — Jubilee will stampede over
other political minnows. As far as I am concerned, Mr Odinga is the
one person holding Jubilee’s feet to the fire. Kenya’s democracy
— fledgling as it is — needs Mr Odinga to flourish. I don’t
believe for a second that Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka or Cord’s
other so-called co-principal Senator Moses Wetang’ula have the
cojones to lead an effective Opposition. With due respect, Senator
Wetang’ula and Mr Musyoka are in the Opposition for personal
convenience, not political conviction. There wasn’t room for them
with their ideological kin in Jubilee. But I won’t beat a dead
horse. Finally, the truth is that Mr Odinga has one more run to the
mountaintop. In 2017, he will — and must — run again for the
elusive State House. I have no crystal ball about how that contest
will turn out, much less who his chief opponents will be. But I
believe he will carry the Opposition’s flag one more time — most
likely his last. That’s only fitting. Let Mr Odinga run his last
race. Who knows — the fourth time may be a charm.
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