EXCLUSIVE: One on One Vibing and Driving Into 2022 with Raila Odinga
2As the year starts, here at Kampala Dispatch, we have got an exclusive one on one vibing and driving into 2022 with Raila Odinga, a veteran Kenyan political leader and one-time Prime Minister popularly known as 'Baba', who has long cast himself as an anti-establishment firebrand, despite belonging to one of the country's top political dynasties.
Veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga announced last year he would make his fifth bid for Kenya’s presidency in 2022 election, ending months of suspense following a surprise truce with his former foe, President Uhuru Kenyatta.
A mainstay of Kenyan politics, the former prime minister – fondly referred to by many as “Baba” (“daddy” in Kiswahili) – remains hugely popular despite losing four shots at the presidency in 1997, 2007, 2013 and 2017.
Raila Odinga will face a difficult fight against his new and much younger rival, Deputy President William Ruto, who was previously promised Kenyatta’s backing for the top job in exchange for his support.Ruto has positioned himself as a leader looking to upend the status quo and stand up for the “hustlers” trying to make ends meet in a country ruled by “dynasties.”
The 54-year-old Ruto initially fought alongside Odinga in 2007, when police crackdowns on protesters and clashes that turned into ethnic attacks killed more than 1,000 people in post-election violence, eventually prompting a new constitution to devolve power. Ruto teamed up with Kenyatta in 2013.
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