Raila speaks on youth disconnect with Saba Saba’s original cause
By Steve Ireri, July 7, 2025ODM leader Raila Odinga has expressed concern that many young Kenyans may not fully understand the historical roots and sacrifices that underpin the Saba Saba movement, even as they take to the streets to demand reforms.
Speaking on Monday, July 7, 2025, Raila delivered a sweeping historical account of Kenya’s long journey to multiparty democracy, highlighting the events that led to the original Saba Saba protests on July 7, 1990, and cautioning that some of today’s demonstrators might be disconnected from that past.
“Some of you may not know fully the history of Saba Saba. As you know, Kenya attained independence in 1963, and at that time it was a multiparty system. We had three political parties—KANU, KADU, and APP. But shortly after KANU won the elections and formed a government, the other two opposition parties folded up and joined KANU. That left KANU as the only political party,” he said, before walking his audience through the early political landscape that saw Kenya attain independence in 1963 under a multiparty system.
He noted that at the time, there were three political parties—KANU, KADU and APP—but shortly after KANU won elections and formed a government, the other two opposition parties folded and joined KANU.
From then, Raila explained, KANU remained the only political party. However, in 1966, a new party known as the Kenya People’s Union (KPU) was formed.
“This party survived for three years and was banned by the government in 1969. The leadership of that party was arrested and taken for political detention. From that point onwards, Kenya remained a de facto single-party dictatorship from 1969 to 1982,” he said.
He went on to describe how, from 1969 to 1982, Kenya remained a de facto single-party dictatorship under KANU.
“In 1982, when some of us attempted to form another political party, the regime responded by introducing a constitutional amendment—Section 2A—which officially made Kenya a one-party state,” he noted.
Raila recalled the attempted coup in 1982, during which many Kenyan intellectuals and activists, including university lecturers such as Prof Willy Mutunga, were arrested and detained.
“Some of us were arrested that year, taken into detention, and stayed there for six years,” he said.
He further narrated the events of 1988 when KANU introduced a direct nomination system in which voters lined up behind candidates and were counted manually. “That process was abused, and many popular candidates were rigged out. There was no proper election in 1988,” he added, noting that this deepened public frustration and laid the groundwork for demands for reform.
“By 1990, I had already been detained twice. On May 2, 1990, a press conference was held in which two leaders—Kenneth Matiba and another—declared it was time for Kenya to become a multiparty state. We were called anarchists and all sorts of names,” he said.
In a reflective tone, Raila narrated how Matiba later sought him out to arrange a meeting with Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, marking the beginning of a coalition that would eventually push for pluralism and political change in Kenya.
“At that time, Matiba came to look for me so that I could help arrange a meeting between him and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. That is how the Saba Saba movement was born.”