Listen to This Article Enhance your reading experience by listening to this article.

In 2022, Kenya’s political landscape was rocked by a series of high-stakes events, with the presidential election bringing together fierce rivals in a tightly contested race.

The ultimate victor, William Ruto, emerged as the country’s fifth president, but his win was not a landslide. Raila Odinga, the perennial challenger, was not ready to concede, and his political machine continued to be a force to reckon with.

For many, it seemed as though the rivalry between Ruto and Raila would persist, especially after the bitter aftermath of the election.

However, in a surprising twist, Raila’s decision to enter into a power-sharing agreement with President Ruto led to the formation of an unlikely alliance.

In the aftermath of the “Handshake” in 2018 between Raila and President Uhuru Kenyatta, many were cautious about another political partnership. Yet, a deal was struck, and in it, some of Raila’s closest allies were appointed to key positions within Ruto’s Cabinet.

What had started as a pragmatic political move to form a government of national unity has now begun showing signs of an unexpected metamorphosis.

Power structure

Many of Raila’s allies in the Cabinet, who had been expected to balance the power structure and provide checks on Ruto’s policies, have begun exhibiting an unwavering loyalty to their new boss.

Just two weeks ago, Raila himself was left with an egg on his face after President Ruto made a sudden about-turn on the proposal by the Indian-based conglomerate Adani Group of Companies to refurbish and manage JKIA, which he had fervently supported.

Addressing the two Houses of Parliament during the State of the Nation address, President Ruto made the decision to cancel the deals, attributing it to credible evidence from the relevant agencies. Ruto, who earned a rare standing ovation from the senators and MPs, said the ongoing deals with the Adani Group could not continue with such insurmountable evidence.

“In the face of undisputed evidence or credible information on corruption, I will not hesitate to take action,” charged the president.

In October, Raila had defended the contracts with the Indian firm, saying its operations were above board. He described Adani as a reputable company with a strong track record in Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects.

Adani deal

Speaking at the side-lines of the ODM Party Delegates Conference at Pride Inn Paradise in Shanzu, Mombasa, Raila recalled his first interaction with Adani during his tenure as Prime Minister.

He highlighted several of Adani’s successful PPP projects in India, particularly in Gujarat and Mumbai, which he visited during his tenure. He recalled how he was introduced to the company’s infrastructure initiatives by Narendra Modi, who was then the Chief Minister of Gujarat.

“The Adani conglomerate is worth over 200 billion US dollars. If individuals made mistakes, let them own up, but we should not condemn companies that are merely conducting normal commercial activities,” Raila said.

The former premier hailed the company’s prowess in infrastructure development, referencing its transformation of Mumbai’s international airport from a dilapidated facility to a world-class hub.

Ruto’s remarks also contradicted those by Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi who had earlier spiritedly defended the controversial but shadowy deals, maintaining that the Kenya-Adani deals would continue even after the unfolding events in the USA.

“We had no knowledge of any other adverse matters that could have come to light and therefore we are proceeding on the basis of the outcome of the rigorous due diligence conducted by the contracting authority in line with the law,” Wandayi had told the Parliamentary Energy Committee, adding that the government would be engaging in speculation as there had been no case of bribery or corruption in Kenya’s case.

Broad-based government

Political observers say since the formation of the broad-based government, Raila’s allies have become more vocal in the defense of Dr Ruto’s government than Kenya Kwanza luminaries like Kimani Ichung’wa, Ndindi Nyoro, Alice Wahome, Kithure Kindiki and Kipchumba Murkomen among others.

On Tuesday, Mining Cabinet Secretary Ali Hassan Joho left Kenyans in shock when he threatened to go for Kenyans taking to social media to vent their frustrations against President Ruto’s administration.

Speaking in Taita Taveta during the official unveiling of the Devki Iron Processing Plant, Joho emphasised that true economic progress comes from concrete efforts on the ground and not noise on social media platforms.

“Hii nchi haiwezi kuendelea kwa kupitia mtandao; haiwezekani…kwani hii (Devki plant) leo ni Facebook imelaunch ama ni Twitter ama ni TikTok? Si ni watu…si ni kazi ambayo imefanywa kwa ground?” (The country cannot develop through social media outlets! Take for example, this Devki plant, is it Twitter or tik Tok that ha launched it? Our team is on the ground launching projects,” he posed.

Joho, a known Raila diehard, took issue with individuals whom he claimed that instead of contributing positively to the country’s growth, have positioned themselves as self-appointed experts while ‘sitting idly’ online.

“Wakileta (noma) tunaleta…mkichoma tunachoma….wacha niseme na kama wamejam wanaeza burst. This is the only country that someone takes to social media anatengeneza hapo kaburi alafu anaombea viongozi mabaya na unataka tukuangalie? Ama wewe unakaa hapo you become an expert of everything,” he said.

As if following the cue, National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed told off Kenyans for constantly protesting proposed initiatives of the Kenya Kwanza administration. “Hatuwezi sema ushuru yoyote inatoka nchi yetu ni ushuru mbaya…lazima tutofautishe gani mzuri na gani mbaya but if we generalise everything and we say all taxations are bad…tufunge nchi kila mtu aende kazi yake ingine. Tusiwe nchi ya kulalamika kila wakati,” he said.

On Tuesday, Mohamed had chastised critics of the Affordable Housing initiative, claiming that it was in ODM’s manifesto during the 2022 political campaigns.

“Mambo ya Affordable Housing, na mengi yalikuwa katika manifesto yetu na sisi kama upinzani tumesema kama mambo ilikuwa katika manifesto yetu, hakuna kitu ya kupinga,” Junet said during the groundbreaking ceremony for Devki Iron Processing Project in Taita Taveta county.

Once government critics, the former opposition-allied ODM party members are now giving the government a clean bill of health after joining the broad-based system administration in mid 2024.

Like all other ODM luminaries led by their leader Raila, before the formation of the broad-based government had been a vocal critic of Kenya Kwanza policies such as Affordable Housing, taxation regime, the new healthcare, rampant corruption, police brutality and the new university funding model, which he has now embraced.

Only a week ago, National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, the man who was once a thorn in Ruto’s flesh and who early this year was quoted describing the Kenya Kwanza Cabinet as being full of “skunks”, is now trying to defend the government’s fiscal policies. “The problem now is the middle class who feel they don’t have money in their pockets, that is the work Mbadi has been given so that we improve the pay-slips,” he said last week.

The former Gwasi MP added: “Give me one year and we make sure there are some changes in the tax laws, positive and progressive ones to make sure there’s more money in the pockets. It is not something to condemn the President about, it is something to look solutions for.”

While Mbadi has been busy working round the clock to ensure the return of the controversially unpopular 2024 Finance Bill, Mohamed has been agitating for the scrapping of public participation in development projects, which he says creates unnecessary bottlenecks, delaying the government’s agenda.

Prof Gitile Naituli, a political analyst and lecturer at the Multimedia University says some of Raila’s allies in ODM are still living in the era of the likes of J.J Kamotho, Peter Oloo Aringo, G. G. Kariuki, Mulu Mutisya who believed that sycophancy was the best way for one to exhibit loyalty.