ODINGA'S ODYSSEY TO INEVITABLE IRRELEVANCE...

is unfolding to a familiar pattern. From a strong front runner a few months ago,polls now conclusively indicate he will lose the expected runoff. His once nearly invincible Rift Valley support base of 2 mn voters has diminished to the extent he'd be lucky to get 10%; the 5 national regional bosses of his Orange Democratic Movement  have left with their solid local vote banks bar 2;his right hand man Miguna Miguna,resigned in a huff last year and published a book filled with embarrassing detail that confirmed what informed Kenyans knew of the PM's business dealings;the September by elections are seen by many as a precursor to a coming electoral disaster come voting day, March 2013.

How did this come to pass? What caused such a spectacular slow motion self destruction? With even only a scant knowledge of Raila Amolo Odinga's history,it was only to be expected. As scion of Luo peoples' would be saviour,the left wing Jaramogi Oginga Odinga,Raila fell into the role naturally embodying all their hopes ,however unrealistic. His first appointment with the Kenyan public was in the Kenya Airforce coup of August 82-this was Raila par excellence!
A group of Air force corporals and NCOs were supposed to capture strategic state buildings presenting the government with a fait accompli,preventing any serious counter measures. But any reasonably intelligent analyst could have told him 1 or 2 things wrong with such an operation: Air force personnel are primarily non combatants. Not for ordnance technicians,mechanics,aircraft refuellers and radar engineers the sound of battle. These were the guys supposed to resist trained infantry in urban warfare in our capital city.
Within hours most of them were KIA and captured-but not before an orgy of looting,rape and death that killed an estimated 1000.
It was with the democratic gains of multipartyism that we saw his true nature-love of grandiose gestures gave him a slavishly loyal semiliterate slumteriat in the infamous Kibera in 1992, an ever growing parade of once faithful upper level activists who want nothing to do with him and warn all and sundry of Raila. For a case study,lets look at a man who would have once willingly taken a bullet for him-Miguna Miguna,former aide for 3 years.
He was sacked August 2011,but says he resigned. He wrote a book of the goings on in the PMs office with his insiders knowledge as Raila's personal assistant. A litany of family corruption,dirty business deals,nepotism,betrayal,broken promises,lethargy,pettiness,dishonesty and love of other people's wives,ohh and whisky filled the detailed 500 or so pages.
Now the PM's once most loyal servant has a new function-ensuring his bete noire doesn't approach even shouting distance of State House.Here he is in Mombasa being subjected to the usual crude attentions of his former bosses admirers at the launch of his expose ,'Peeling back the Mask'.

Kenyans know that Raila may at best pose presidential and pull of the requisite gravitas for a short while,but beyond that he turns into a professional comedian or active saboteur of our vital interests. He inserted himself into the Ivorienne crisis demanding 'Gbagbo must go!,' with the fervour of a pro Outtara youth leader helping legitimise violent French overthrow of a democratically elected leader.
Early this year,he went to Tel Aviv and announced important new security deals with Israel and in an unheard development was immediately contradicted by both Netanyahu and Peres! "We never discussed anything of that sort ,"declared Netanyahu bluntly .
This then is the man whom some would have take up residence in State House;the Kenyan Yeltsin has already reached a dead end. His hangers and 'advisers' are too busy hogging the gravy train to tell him.Thankfully,for Kenyans we won't have to endure such sights suffered by Russians in the Yeltsin era.

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