Watching President William Ruto deliver his longest address to the nation ever, it came as no surprise that the oomph came from a number of dynamics, including the confidence that the Luo nation had literally camped at the stadium awaiting to be served.

But, behind the face, one person reigned supreme in developments that saw the day’s events.

That is one Raila Odinga, known simply as Baba. His name continues to evoke emotion, passion, and, increasingly, frustration in the people who feel he has weakened the opposition.

A man once revered as the father of opposition politics in Kenya, the embodiment of reform, and the voice of the oppressed, has, over the decades, gone for the handshake that many now consider a betrayal.

While some still chant his name with reverence, many more now whisper in disillusionment: “Baba, you ain’t loyal.”

Let’s call it what it is – is Raila the king of the art of political elasticity? He seems to bounce back into the fold of power, no matter how vicious the political storm or how humiliating the electoral loss is.

Well, Gen Zs, who make up the larger part of his critics, call him a sell-out, the very thing he once claimed to fight against; they now say that loyalty may no longer be part of the Baba brand.

From being detained without trial in the 1980s for his alleged role in the failed 1982 coup and leading the 2002 National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) to victory, to crying foul in five contested elections, Baba’s journey has been one of both pain and glory.

In 2007, after post-election violence that claimed more than a thousand lives, Raila negotiated a power-sharing deal and became Prime Minister.

In 2018, after another hotly contested election that he declared illegitimate, he shocked his supporters with the infamous “Handshake” with President Uhuru Kenyatta – without consulting his own coalition.

Each time Raila loses, he somehow finds a way back into the centre of power, “regardless”.

And each time, the loyal foot soldiers who took to the streets for him – some losing their lives, others their livelihoods, are left wondering whether their sacrifices were for principle or profit, as the political elite also go for their own handshakes and, of course, tenders.

This is as the hustlers get tear gas and funeral bills.

We remember President Ruto famously branding him “mchawi” and a perennial loser, and even called him “wazimu” and “mtu wa vitendawili”. And yet, somehow, Baba ends up warming to these same people.

In a stunning turn of events, despite Ruto’s win in 2022 – a win Raila vehemently disputed – there are already signs of a vibe between the two.

How does someone who has been called every name under the sun, sidelined, ridiculed, and humiliated by political opponents, still find a way to make deals with them?

Is it resilience? Is it a strategy? Or is it pure political opportunism?  

The whispers of deals, tenders, and family-linked businesses thriving under administrations he opposed signal a revolutionary mask that has slipped, and underneath lies a seasoned player in the game of thrones, more interested in survival and gain than in change and reform.

So yes, Baba, you ain’t loyal. Not to the people who bled for you. Not to the ideals you once screamed from podiums.

You’re loyal only to power – and to yourself.   

The writer comments on topical issues