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When I was growing up, Azimio leader Raila Odinga used to inspire me a great deal. His history in the liberation movement and the fight against the Moi dictatorship have earned him barrels of ink in Kenya’s history.

He differed with the late vice president Kijana Wamalwa in principle after the latter took what sounded like a bizarre stand in defence of Kamlesh Patni of the Goldenberg shame.

He also took another strong position against the late President Moi against the Inter-Parties Parliamentary Group that was formed to broker peacemeal law reforms ahead of the 1997 elections.

The then Langata MP demanded an overhaul of the independence Constitution that reinforced the Nyayo dictatorship and almost made fair political competition impossible.

He has been ambivalent about his role in the 1982 coup attempt against Moi for which he was detained. I strongly believed that he was robbed of victory in the 2007 presidential election.

He played a central role in the adoption of the Constitution in 2010. That is where my admiration ends.

Since then he has developed a tendency to cut deals over the blood of other Kenyans. The pushing of his allies to government to save a failing President William Ruto after deadly protests by Gen Z was a betrayal of the causes the young people are advancing. He should be ashamed.

— Shariff Peter is a Political Science graduate