Like father like son, goes the saying that aptly defines Kenyan politics that seem to have revolved around the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga family for decades.

The biological son of the former Vice President, opposition leader, Raila Amolo Odinga and former Prime Minister like his father in life grabs more media headlines than any known leader in the country today.

After the 2022 general elections in which he narrowly lost the presidency to William Ruto, many concluded that his career had come to an end and writers were busy penning his political obituary. That was not to be. He is a candidate for the chairmanship in the AUCommission.

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader and a principal in the Azimio coalition saved the day when the youth movement going by the name GenZ held President Ruto hostage in weekly protests against the infamous Finance Bill. They invaded parliament, destroyed part of the facility and demanded the president’s resignation.

The Bill has since been withdrawn, cabinet dismissed and reconstituted after Raila’s intervention in the standoff that was getting out of hand by the day, causing economic losses.

Unfortunately, most of the politician’s peers don’t see merit in career saving decisions but would downplay his statesman efforts and label Raila a traitor, opportunist to name just but a few. Those are the words from hypocrites, political merchants and turncoats across the political divide.

Ignore Raila at your own peril. He is many things in one, king maker, risk taker, mobiliser, peace maker and tolerant. Like previous overtures, the political acrobat bears negative tags when he reaches out to a rival in times of a crisis.

The reconciliation between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila who had sworn himself as the People’s President was one of those unexpected in the country after weeks of post-election acrimonious exchanges, bickering and name callings in the toxic political atmosphere.

Raila holds no grudge with rivals and even the heartless dictators of our time benefited from his reconciliatory gestures. Former Presidents Mwai Kibaki and Daniel arap Moi in their graves silently can testify that they benefited from an opponent’s benevolent gestures. He signed a post-election violence peace agreement with Kibaki and shared power in a grand coalition government.

Who could imagine that Raila would forgive Moi who detained him three times for a total of nine years? However, with a slim majority of four members in a hung parliament and impeachment a possibility Moi reconciled with Raila when other opposition figures declined.

Raila folded the National Development Party (NDP) purposely to boost the then ruling party, Kenya African National Union (KANU) numerical strength to engender peace in a volatile situation. NDP became the proverbial sacrificial lamb in the co-operation deal.

Without fear of contradiction, I dare say that Raila since entry into active politics in the beginning of the nineties after a stint in political prison, he has been in the news for negative reasons more often than his peers. Now, he is in the news as an unreliable coalition partner because of a decision made that quelled ugly protests in the country.

Even obvious lies of plots against the government and rivals have been manufactured and sold to the desperate willing buyers without question. Why? Three times a political prisoner, imaginary or real narratives about destabilization of the government is taken as gospel truth.

Former Nairobi Governor, Mike Mbuvi Sonko revealed that the ruling party Jubilee members donned in Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) jerseys wreaked havoc in one of the opposition organized demos, destroyed and looted property. Consequently, the opposition carried the blame. This is one of the many tricks in the book that the government applies when it is under siege, Sonko told Kenya that much.

Raila enjoys a fanatical following in the country that explains why he is a lucrative political commodity worth buying and stocking. He has contested the presidency five times, a runner up in four and distant fourth in the first attempt.

The writer is a former political detainee