Post by Onyango Oloo on Jul 14, 2006 19:10:04 GMT 3
SECOND VERSION, SANS TYPOS etc...
A Book Review and Social Commentary by Onyango Oloo
RAILA ODINGA: An Enigma in Kenyan Politics by Babefemi A. Badejo, Yintab Books, July 2006, 367 pp
Thursday, July 13th, 2006 was more than a media event day at NAKUMATT’s Junction outlet on Ngong Road. It was many things to many people- but I will come to that.
Let me first say something about the impetus and magnet which drew so many people- I estimate something in the region of the low hundreds- to this venue.
I am talking about the above titled publication which was available for sale plus autographs
from both the Nigerian author and the high profile Kenyan political personality himself.
The book is divided into 22 chapters excluding the acknowledgements, preface, prologue, epilogue, appendix, pictorial appendix and index.
Skimming rapidly through the tome (which I did this morning in two phases- at home between 4:33 am and 6 a.m.; later en route to work and at the office between 7 a.m. and 8:15. Just to say in passing that the first part of Phase II of my skimming happened in the front seat of a matatu whose driver was seemingly on a maniacal, suicidal mission to curtail the collective expectations of the hostage passengers for a long life through desperado forays onto the sidewalks, reckless lane jumping and other dastardly infractions on road usage..), I gleaned very captivating nuggets, not just of previously unheard of biographical data, but more importantly, crucial analytical insights into the Kenyan known as Raila Amolo Odinga.
The chapters traverse the ongoing life journey of the Langata MP and ODM supremo from his early childhood in Western Kenya, his higher education in the DDR (German Democratic Republic); his stint as a lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nairobi; his entrepreneurial pursuits with a host of corporate outfits and assignment as a top level government technocrat charged with upholding production and quality standards, all presaging his emergence as the one Kenyan personality who is most discussed, vilified and lauded on the contemporary political scene.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, Raila's political activism did not begin with his linkage to the 1982 coup plot or even the advent of multi-party democracy in the early 1990s, but date much earlier with his long apprenticeship at the knees of his famous Pan Africanist father, with his activist teeth being cut in European student politics where his first ideological mentors were Marx, Lenin and particularly Fidel Castro .
To the general, non- Kenyan reader, the book offers a valuable introduction to Kenyan politics and one of its key practitioners. This indeedwas one of the main objectives of the Nigerian biographer.
To avid Kenyan political pundits, most of the content in relation to national political developments is rather old hat.
What is new for someone like me is the unearthing of little known facts.
For instance I did not know that Raila was one of the insiders behind the ill-fated Kenya African Socialist Alliance[/i] project of the early eighties- an attempt to set up a second, oppositionist counterweight to the repressive KANU machine- that terrified the Moi-led neo-colonial clique to rush through a constitutional amendment to formalize the one party status of Kenya.
I had all along assumed (talking to people like Prof. Shadrack Gutto , currently based in South Africa) that the leading lights were George Anyona, Ooko Ombaka and Dr. Gutto himself.
But when I turned to page 89 which is part of Chapter 7 I found out the following:
...Raila and Sumba who had been privately briefed by Jaramogi, returned to Nairobi to brief a meeting of the wakombozi which included Anyona; Salim Lone, a feisty Kenyan journalist of Asian origin; the late Ooko Oki-Ombaka; and Shadrack Gutto. An invitation was then extended to Anyona, Oyangi Mbajah and Abuya Abuya to visit Jaramogi in Kisumu. Raila also attended this meeting at which Jaramogi told them that there was no alternative but to form another political party. In fact, according to Raila, Jaramogi insisted on dictating to them the text of the launching statement for the new party at that meeting.
This marked the beginning of the move towards the realization of a political party. In the second half of 1981, the group, which included Anyona, Raila, Oyangi Mbajah, Anyang’ Nyong’o, Atieno-Odhiambo, David Mukaru-Ng’ang’a, a University of Nairobi lecturer, and Patrick Sumba, among others, started preparing a party manifesto using the KPU manifesto as a guide. They also worked on a party constitution. Then came the debate on the choice of a name for the party. The group wanted to be broad in the choice of the name so that they could attract many of the people who were dissatisfied with the KANU order. But they wanted to give a sense of being progressive. Though Anyona wanted the party called socialist, he realized that there could be varying degrees of socialist orientation and saw the need to accommodate all. Raila had argued in support of calling the new structure the Social Democratic Party. However he agreed with the suggestion from Salim Lone to the effect that they should use Alliance instead of Party. This was in recognition of the diversity of their group which included Traditional African Socialists, Scientific Socialists and Social Democrats.
In February 1982, Jaramogi sent a special message to the Tanzanian President, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere about the formation of the party and the general need for change in Kenya. The lot fell on Salim Lone to deliver the message.
The Kenya African Socialist Alliance (KASA) had been conceived. The problem now was how to execute the delivery. Shadrack Gutto and Ombaka, who were lawyers, developed cold feet arguing that a resolution by delegates was required for registration.
However, there remained the question of how to get registration. The KASA promoters decided that it would be tactful simply to go to the Registrar’s office, hand in the registration documents and obtain a receipt from clerks at the desk. After getting the receipts, they planned to call a press conference at the Norfolk Hotel. At the press conference the interim Chairman would show their receipt as proof of registration of KASA. But this plan could not be executed. Two days before the planned submission of documents to clerks, President Moi at a public rally in Kiambu announced that a bill was to be introduced in Parliament to make Kenya a de jure one party state.
Anyona and Sumba decided to mobilize University students against the bill. On May 29, 1982, at the Serena Hotel, the duo met student leaders including Maurice Justice Adong'o, (who later went into exile in Canada) David Murathe (who later became MP for Gatanga) and Rateng' Oginga Ogego, now Kenya High Commissioner to Canada. A plan was hatched to call an international conference at which, a demand for a referendum would be made, using the argument that the issue of a de jure one-party state required popular discussion/ referendum. The student leaders were charged with responsibility for mobilizing support among students.
The duo of Anyona and Sumba agreed to meet the following day at the Intercontinental Hotel and proceed to meet the students at their campus. Anyona stayed the night at Lone’s residence. In the morning, Anyona and Lone parted ways. Lone had an appointment with Maina wa Kinyatti, an activist University lecturer who was working on getting Jaramogi and Kaggia to re-engage strongly to build a winning alliance for a democratic Kenya. But he remembered that Anyona was indiscreet with his use of the phone as he spoke about KASA and other plans, without the concern for the phone being bugged.
Sumba arrived on time only to learn that Anyona who had arrived at the Intercontinental Hotel slightly earlier had been picked up by security agents. Abuya Abuya’s car that he drove to hotel was outside. On the advice of waiters, Sumba quickly left.
Sumba, Prof. Alfred Otieno Osanya and Atieno-Odhiambo went to the airport to receive Raila Odinga who was returning to Nairobi from Kisumu on the afternoon flight, and informed him that the Chairman of the intended party had been arrested earlier that day.
Apparently, Anyona had been tricked by a journalist who worked for the Special Branch, who had invited him to come to the Intercontinental Hotel for some information. He went there before his scheduled meeting with Sumba but the journalist did not show up. He was taken from the hotel to his residence and search yielded the Constitution and Manifesto of the KASA...
...On June 9, the Kenyan Government, led in Parliament by Vice-President Mwai Kibaki, the Leader of Government Business, moved a procedural motion to reduce the fourteen day period of publication of a Bill to six days. On clearing this impediment, Throup and Hornsby noted that"legislation (drafted by Charles Njonjo’s legal adviser Paul Muite), was rushed through the National Assembly by Vice-President Mwai Kibaki to make a Kenya a de jure single party state….Kibaki and Njonjo made all the "debate" on the Bill except for interruptions of applause from the House; an intervention by Nicholas Biwott, the Minister for Regional Development, Science and Technology, who hastened the Bill along; and an irritant from Orengo who interrupted Njonjo…. All 158 members present voted in favour of the Bill on the second reading. The speaker, Mr. Fred Mati, in a further setting aside of the rules, committed the Bill to a committee chaired by Moses arap Keino. In no time, arap Keino reported back that they had approved the Bill without amendment. The Third Reading took place immediately while some MPs left. This time 151 members were present including Koigi wa Wamwere who had joined the sitting, They all voted in favour with neither a nay vote nor an abstention. The amendment had been passed in an hour and 45 minutes. President Moi assented to the Bill making it a Constitutional Law on June 17, 1982.
SOURCE:
RAILA ODINGA: An Enigma in Kenyan Politics
by Babefemi A. Badejo, Yintab Books, July 2006, pp 89-92
I have always been curious about Raila Odinga’s ideological orientation, with wild speculation tagging him as a firebrand "communist"- that is when he is not being accused of being a greedy "capitalist". His populist demeanour and his upper middle class perch have contributed to this contradictory political assessment of the Langata member of parliament.
Perhaps Raila Odinga's own assessment of Raila Odinga can give us a perspective that is not as widely publicized as the caricatures drawn of him by friend and foe alike:
…My wide reading covered Fanon, Lenin, Marx, Nkrumah, Rodney, Mao, Dubois, Garvey as well as Liberal Western thinkers like Galbraith and Adam Smith and it shaped my intellectual and political outlook. Imperialism was the enemy number one and international solidarity of progressive forces was the answer to imperialistic expansion. We believed that collective ownership of means of production was the only way to ensure equitable distribution of wealth, poverty reduction and faster socio-economic development.
Those days, at the height of the cold war, with Vietnam War at its peak, we talked of scientific world outlook. Many changes have since taken place and I have also revised my world outlook. I have witnessed inefficiencies associated with public ownership and management and the ability of entrepreneurship to create wealth. I now strongly believe in the private sector as the engine for faster economic development. But I still strongly believe in the humaneness of our traditional African societies and the need to borrow from the experience of our forbearers to transform our country. I hold the simple but profound notion that individuals thrive and prosper only when they are supported by strong and active communities….Although I have been criticized for changing political parties, I have maintained that at no time have we compromised our principles…There is no doubt in my mind that every change we have made has advanced the cause of our mission. I can say without fear of contradiction, that the tactical manouvres and compromises we have made have been dictated purely by the difficult historical circumstances and not mere opportunism…we must always ensure that the compass is pointing at the destination. As governments and economies globalize, no national state can plan rigidly and precisely for the future. We must adjust to the realities of neo-liberal globalization that became triumphant after the fall of Berlin Wall in the late 1980s/early 1990s. In this regard we support political and economic reforms that are in line with liberal democracy along with social justice. In other words, we concur with Francis Fukuyama when he states that, as mankind approached the end of the millennium, the twin crises of authoritarianism and socialist central planning left only one competitor standing in the ring of an ideology of potentially universal validity. This was Liberal Democracy, the doctrine of individual freedom and popular sovereignty. This is the ideology upon which our party- The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is founded…
SOURCE:
Ibid. pp 346-349.
This book is a must read for anyone- Kenyan and non-Kenyan- who is keen to get an insight not only into the character of our most consummate and most controversial politician.
Last evening I was skimming through the book with my comrade Ng’ang’a Thiong'o and we noticed some obvious gaps and omissions- especially in regards to the history of democratic and anti-imperialist struggle.
Even though the generation of radical patriots like Kamoji Wachiira, Alamin Mazrui, Willy Mutunga, Edward Oyugi, Micere Mugo, Maina wa Kinyatti and the Cheche/DTM Marxist oriented clandestine group are given very prominent coverage and former Nyeri MP and Nyayo House survivor Wanyiri Kihoro is copiously cited, one does not see the 1980s student/youth activist generation given their full due- notwithstanding coverage of the part played by Adongo, Murathe and Ogego in the abortive attempt to register the opposition Kenya African Socialist Alliance, there is nary a word about the broader, post 1982 Kenyan Marxist underground.
Where is Mwandawiro Mghanga, Ng'ang'a Thiong’o, Mwakdua wa Mwachofi, Kang'ethe Mung’ai, Tirop arap Kitur, Karimi Nduthu and dozens of others? Where is the acknowledgment of the contributions of Harakati ya Kupambania Demokrasia (HDK), ODK, Me Katilili, KAIF, UKENYA, Umoja, MWAKENYA, MDK, UWAKE, KPF and others?
The surreal omission is the more startling especially given the fact that Raila Odinga did liaise and work with many if not all of these groups at one time or another.
One of his key allies (and yes he was at the book launch) once CHAIRED one of the above named clandestine formations- and it was not that long ago, as a matter of fact.
Perhaps, we can take Agwambo off the hook, arguing in his defence that this book is ABOUT him NOT BY him.
But let us immediately put him back in the dock by pressing the charge that he is complicit in that he must have perused the final manuscript before it was rushed to the printer.
Raila Odinga has promised us the publication of HIS OWN AUTOBIOGRAPHY WRITTEN BY HIM before the end of 2006. So perhaps, the writer of these lines will suspend further judgment for another five months.
Before penning off, a couple of thoughts on the book launch itself.
The MC role was handled very ably by the always erudite PLO Lumumba. Dr. Tom Namwamba, Kenya's world renowned scholar gave a brilliant key note address. The author was personable and modest about his daunting biographical task. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, in a show of ODM unity, showed up for the book launch and showered his alleged nemesis with plaudits and verbal laurels. Raila himself, after hoisting himself on to a table gave a very moving and sweeping address invoking Nelson Mandela, Dedan Kimathi, Kwame Nkrumah etc and referring frequently to Kenya's history of struggle for a better more democratic and prosperous society. Lots of books were bought- and promptly autographed.
Did I have any quibbles?
Well, perhaps.
First, the choice of venue was GHASTLY for symbolic and logistical reasons.
If I were Raila (and of course I am NOT) I would have run in the opposite direction from ANY NAKUMATT location. Given the stench of notoriety that swirls over that Kenyan supermarket chain- with allegations of money laundering, drug dealing and dubious accounting malpractices, NAKUMATT would have been the LAST PLACE to have a book launch associated with a man of Raila’s mien and stature. Was he following the Nyayos of veteran novelist and former activist Ngugi wa Thiongo who used the same exact location not too long to unleash his 1,000 page Gikuyu language magnum opus?
On top of that why did Raila Odinga, an organizing braniac who can easily fill spaces such as Uhuru Park and Nyayo Stadium,choose a tiny up market theatre hall with a capacity of 200?
Entrance being by invitation only, the organizers of the launch edited and BARRED hundreds of patriotic and progressive Kenyans who have been in the trenches much longer than some of the social climbers, hangers on, sycophants and opportunists that I saw slither through the double doors after flashing the all important invitation card surreptitiously distributed on the eve of the event itself.
It was painful to see veteran friends and supporters of Raila like Mr. Justus Wanga (former Vice President of the Kenya Community Abroad) meandering and languishing in the cold; it was saddening to see someone like the human rights lawyer and former political prisoner Ng'ang'a Thiong’o locked out- a man who has been vilified and denounced for breaking ranks with the Nyoomba for among other things heartily campaigning for the Orange side during the November 2005 referendum; why couldn’t anti-establishment Central Kenyan tycoon Wa Njuguna get an official invite? How about gender activist and democrat Betty Murung’i? Wanyiri Kihoro got sneaked in almost at the last minute by one of the senior LDP personnel. How did I know that all these folks were on the outside? Well, guess what...
Related to the above, I observed something that disturbed me as I fast forwarded to next year’s election.
If Raila Odinga and the ODM juggernaut prevails- as is projected by many Kenyans- then the subject of the brand new biography under review must make sure he does something to the phalanx of defenders, supporters, security detail, hangers on and sycophants who literally envelop and cushion him in public- sometimes from his own comrades and fellow travelers.
There are many, many Kenyans who admire, respect and cherish Raila- and they are all NOT in the LDP and ODM.
Someone who is reading this and talks to Agwambo on a regular basis should pass on the message to the Langata MP that Raila represents a national and continental base that could easily wither away if he does not deliberately crane his neck over his immediate circle to see who else is waiting to catch his eye- not necessarily to unleash a newly minted praise song.
Having said the above, let me PUBLICLY COMMEND 3 individuals who were not only sensitive and proactive about the overzealous gate-keepers.
First, Karachuonyo MP and former political prisoner Adhu Awiti for taking the initiative to ENSURE that some of us who had been literally chased from the book launch got partial admission to the space;
Second, Raila’s Personal Aide Dave Arunga who ordered the security guys to stop harassing people arriving to attend the book launch;
Third, but certainly not least, Owad ga Akinyi's life partner Ida who publicly wondered why some people had not been treated fairly.
Let me end on a happy note by reporting on a semi-comical anecdote involving the Kenyan penning these lines.
Remember Richard Otieno Kwach?
His name conjures up different things to different people. The SM Otieno case for some; high-handed court behaviour for some of my advocate pals; judicial sleaze and dishonour for others.
Onyango Oloo remembers him as my former lawyer.
The second one to quit on me during my 1982 sedition trial because I refused to plead guilty.
Well, yesterday, a much more wizened and gray-haired Kwach was making his way in accompanied by Nyatike MP Ochola Ogur when I eye-balled him. I publicly called out his name and firmly grabbed him as I asked him if he remembered me. A temporary blank stare. As I stated my name, he recoiled and attempted to writhe away from my firm grip. Smiling and chuckling throughout, I held on to his surprised palm, urging him to meet my mshikaji and my only surviving bro, loudly announcing to no one in particular that here was the man who abandoned me in my hour of legal need. Rattled, Richard Otieno Kwach scampered to the relative safety of the waiting book-store adorned with the just published Raila biography, promising to talk to me later. I did hold him to his word when he came down to the uninvited plebeians about two hours later when their exclusive shin dig in the upstairs theatre hall was finished. This time we had a very respectful encounter with each of us touching base and exchanging contacts.
What was poignant for me was that both of us had somehow endured the quarter century mutual experience (albeit on different sides) of the horrible kangaroo courts and detentions without trial that united the ordinary Onyango Oloos and the luminary Raila Odinga...
Onyango Oloo
Nairobi, Kenya
A Book Review and Social Commentary by Onyango Oloo
RAILA ODINGA: An Enigma in Kenyan Politics by Babefemi A. Badejo, Yintab Books, July 2006, 367 pp
Thursday, July 13th, 2006 was more than a media event day at NAKUMATT’s Junction outlet on Ngong Road. It was many things to many people- but I will come to that.
Let me first say something about the impetus and magnet which drew so many people- I estimate something in the region of the low hundreds- to this venue.
I am talking about the above titled publication which was available for sale plus autographs
from both the Nigerian author and the high profile Kenyan political personality himself.
The book is divided into 22 chapters excluding the acknowledgements, preface, prologue, epilogue, appendix, pictorial appendix and index.
Skimming rapidly through the tome (which I did this morning in two phases- at home between 4:33 am and 6 a.m.; later en route to work and at the office between 7 a.m. and 8:15. Just to say in passing that the first part of Phase II of my skimming happened in the front seat of a matatu whose driver was seemingly on a maniacal, suicidal mission to curtail the collective expectations of the hostage passengers for a long life through desperado forays onto the sidewalks, reckless lane jumping and other dastardly infractions on road usage..), I gleaned very captivating nuggets, not just of previously unheard of biographical data, but more importantly, crucial analytical insights into the Kenyan known as Raila Amolo Odinga.
The chapters traverse the ongoing life journey of the Langata MP and ODM supremo from his early childhood in Western Kenya, his higher education in the DDR (German Democratic Republic); his stint as a lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nairobi; his entrepreneurial pursuits with a host of corporate outfits and assignment as a top level government technocrat charged with upholding production and quality standards, all presaging his emergence as the one Kenyan personality who is most discussed, vilified and lauded on the contemporary political scene.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, Raila's political activism did not begin with his linkage to the 1982 coup plot or even the advent of multi-party democracy in the early 1990s, but date much earlier with his long apprenticeship at the knees of his famous Pan Africanist father, with his activist teeth being cut in European student politics where his first ideological mentors were Marx, Lenin and particularly Fidel Castro .
To the general, non- Kenyan reader, the book offers a valuable introduction to Kenyan politics and one of its key practitioners. This indeedwas one of the main objectives of the Nigerian biographer.
To avid Kenyan political pundits, most of the content in relation to national political developments is rather old hat.
What is new for someone like me is the unearthing of little known facts.
For instance I did not know that Raila was one of the insiders behind the ill-fated Kenya African Socialist Alliance[/i] project of the early eighties- an attempt to set up a second, oppositionist counterweight to the repressive KANU machine- that terrified the Moi-led neo-colonial clique to rush through a constitutional amendment to formalize the one party status of Kenya.
I had all along assumed (talking to people like Prof. Shadrack Gutto , currently based in South Africa) that the leading lights were George Anyona, Ooko Ombaka and Dr. Gutto himself.
But when I turned to page 89 which is part of Chapter 7 I found out the following:
...Raila and Sumba who had been privately briefed by Jaramogi, returned to Nairobi to brief a meeting of the wakombozi which included Anyona; Salim Lone, a feisty Kenyan journalist of Asian origin; the late Ooko Oki-Ombaka; and Shadrack Gutto. An invitation was then extended to Anyona, Oyangi Mbajah and Abuya Abuya to visit Jaramogi in Kisumu. Raila also attended this meeting at which Jaramogi told them that there was no alternative but to form another political party. In fact, according to Raila, Jaramogi insisted on dictating to them the text of the launching statement for the new party at that meeting.
This marked the beginning of the move towards the realization of a political party. In the second half of 1981, the group, which included Anyona, Raila, Oyangi Mbajah, Anyang’ Nyong’o, Atieno-Odhiambo, David Mukaru-Ng’ang’a, a University of Nairobi lecturer, and Patrick Sumba, among others, started preparing a party manifesto using the KPU manifesto as a guide. They also worked on a party constitution. Then came the debate on the choice of a name for the party. The group wanted to be broad in the choice of the name so that they could attract many of the people who were dissatisfied with the KANU order. But they wanted to give a sense of being progressive. Though Anyona wanted the party called socialist, he realized that there could be varying degrees of socialist orientation and saw the need to accommodate all. Raila had argued in support of calling the new structure the Social Democratic Party. However he agreed with the suggestion from Salim Lone to the effect that they should use Alliance instead of Party. This was in recognition of the diversity of their group which included Traditional African Socialists, Scientific Socialists and Social Democrats.
In February 1982, Jaramogi sent a special message to the Tanzanian President, Mwalimu Julius Nyerere about the formation of the party and the general need for change in Kenya. The lot fell on Salim Lone to deliver the message.
The Kenya African Socialist Alliance (KASA) had been conceived. The problem now was how to execute the delivery. Shadrack Gutto and Ombaka, who were lawyers, developed cold feet arguing that a resolution by delegates was required for registration.
However, there remained the question of how to get registration. The KASA promoters decided that it would be tactful simply to go to the Registrar’s office, hand in the registration documents and obtain a receipt from clerks at the desk. After getting the receipts, they planned to call a press conference at the Norfolk Hotel. At the press conference the interim Chairman would show their receipt as proof of registration of KASA. But this plan could not be executed. Two days before the planned submission of documents to clerks, President Moi at a public rally in Kiambu announced that a bill was to be introduced in Parliament to make Kenya a de jure one party state.
Anyona and Sumba decided to mobilize University students against the bill. On May 29, 1982, at the Serena Hotel, the duo met student leaders including Maurice Justice Adong'o, (who later went into exile in Canada) David Murathe (who later became MP for Gatanga) and Rateng' Oginga Ogego, now Kenya High Commissioner to Canada. A plan was hatched to call an international conference at which, a demand for a referendum would be made, using the argument that the issue of a de jure one-party state required popular discussion/ referendum. The student leaders were charged with responsibility for mobilizing support among students.
The duo of Anyona and Sumba agreed to meet the following day at the Intercontinental Hotel and proceed to meet the students at their campus. Anyona stayed the night at Lone’s residence. In the morning, Anyona and Lone parted ways. Lone had an appointment with Maina wa Kinyatti, an activist University lecturer who was working on getting Jaramogi and Kaggia to re-engage strongly to build a winning alliance for a democratic Kenya. But he remembered that Anyona was indiscreet with his use of the phone as he spoke about KASA and other plans, without the concern for the phone being bugged.
Sumba arrived on time only to learn that Anyona who had arrived at the Intercontinental Hotel slightly earlier had been picked up by security agents. Abuya Abuya’s car that he drove to hotel was outside. On the advice of waiters, Sumba quickly left.
Sumba, Prof. Alfred Otieno Osanya and Atieno-Odhiambo went to the airport to receive Raila Odinga who was returning to Nairobi from Kisumu on the afternoon flight, and informed him that the Chairman of the intended party had been arrested earlier that day.
Apparently, Anyona had been tricked by a journalist who worked for the Special Branch, who had invited him to come to the Intercontinental Hotel for some information. He went there before his scheduled meeting with Sumba but the journalist did not show up. He was taken from the hotel to his residence and search yielded the Constitution and Manifesto of the KASA...
...On June 9, the Kenyan Government, led in Parliament by Vice-President Mwai Kibaki, the Leader of Government Business, moved a procedural motion to reduce the fourteen day period of publication of a Bill to six days. On clearing this impediment, Throup and Hornsby noted that"legislation (drafted by Charles Njonjo’s legal adviser Paul Muite), was rushed through the National Assembly by Vice-President Mwai Kibaki to make a Kenya a de jure single party state….Kibaki and Njonjo made all the "debate" on the Bill except for interruptions of applause from the House; an intervention by Nicholas Biwott, the Minister for Regional Development, Science and Technology, who hastened the Bill along; and an irritant from Orengo who interrupted Njonjo…. All 158 members present voted in favour of the Bill on the second reading. The speaker, Mr. Fred Mati, in a further setting aside of the rules, committed the Bill to a committee chaired by Moses arap Keino. In no time, arap Keino reported back that they had approved the Bill without amendment. The Third Reading took place immediately while some MPs left. This time 151 members were present including Koigi wa Wamwere who had joined the sitting, They all voted in favour with neither a nay vote nor an abstention. The amendment had been passed in an hour and 45 minutes. President Moi assented to the Bill making it a Constitutional Law on June 17, 1982.
SOURCE:
RAILA ODINGA: An Enigma in Kenyan Politics
by Babefemi A. Badejo, Yintab Books, July 2006, pp 89-92
I have always been curious about Raila Odinga’s ideological orientation, with wild speculation tagging him as a firebrand "communist"- that is when he is not being accused of being a greedy "capitalist". His populist demeanour and his upper middle class perch have contributed to this contradictory political assessment of the Langata member of parliament.
Perhaps Raila Odinga's own assessment of Raila Odinga can give us a perspective that is not as widely publicized as the caricatures drawn of him by friend and foe alike:
…My wide reading covered Fanon, Lenin, Marx, Nkrumah, Rodney, Mao, Dubois, Garvey as well as Liberal Western thinkers like Galbraith and Adam Smith and it shaped my intellectual and political outlook. Imperialism was the enemy number one and international solidarity of progressive forces was the answer to imperialistic expansion. We believed that collective ownership of means of production was the only way to ensure equitable distribution of wealth, poverty reduction and faster socio-economic development.
Those days, at the height of the cold war, with Vietnam War at its peak, we talked of scientific world outlook. Many changes have since taken place and I have also revised my world outlook. I have witnessed inefficiencies associated with public ownership and management and the ability of entrepreneurship to create wealth. I now strongly believe in the private sector as the engine for faster economic development. But I still strongly believe in the humaneness of our traditional African societies and the need to borrow from the experience of our forbearers to transform our country. I hold the simple but profound notion that individuals thrive and prosper only when they are supported by strong and active communities….Although I have been criticized for changing political parties, I have maintained that at no time have we compromised our principles…There is no doubt in my mind that every change we have made has advanced the cause of our mission. I can say without fear of contradiction, that the tactical manouvres and compromises we have made have been dictated purely by the difficult historical circumstances and not mere opportunism…we must always ensure that the compass is pointing at the destination. As governments and economies globalize, no national state can plan rigidly and precisely for the future. We must adjust to the realities of neo-liberal globalization that became triumphant after the fall of Berlin Wall in the late 1980s/early 1990s. In this regard we support political and economic reforms that are in line with liberal democracy along with social justice. In other words, we concur with Francis Fukuyama when he states that, as mankind approached the end of the millennium, the twin crises of authoritarianism and socialist central planning left only one competitor standing in the ring of an ideology of potentially universal validity. This was Liberal Democracy, the doctrine of individual freedom and popular sovereignty. This is the ideology upon which our party- The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is founded…
SOURCE:
Ibid. pp 346-349.
This book is a must read for anyone- Kenyan and non-Kenyan- who is keen to get an insight not only into the character of our most consummate and most controversial politician.
Last evening I was skimming through the book with my comrade Ng’ang’a Thiong'o and we noticed some obvious gaps and omissions- especially in regards to the history of democratic and anti-imperialist struggle.
Even though the generation of radical patriots like Kamoji Wachiira, Alamin Mazrui, Willy Mutunga, Edward Oyugi, Micere Mugo, Maina wa Kinyatti and the Cheche/DTM Marxist oriented clandestine group are given very prominent coverage and former Nyeri MP and Nyayo House survivor Wanyiri Kihoro is copiously cited, one does not see the 1980s student/youth activist generation given their full due- notwithstanding coverage of the part played by Adongo, Murathe and Ogego in the abortive attempt to register the opposition Kenya African Socialist Alliance, there is nary a word about the broader, post 1982 Kenyan Marxist underground.
Where is Mwandawiro Mghanga, Ng'ang'a Thiong’o, Mwakdua wa Mwachofi, Kang'ethe Mung’ai, Tirop arap Kitur, Karimi Nduthu and dozens of others? Where is the acknowledgment of the contributions of Harakati ya Kupambania Demokrasia (HDK), ODK, Me Katilili, KAIF, UKENYA, Umoja, MWAKENYA, MDK, UWAKE, KPF and others?
The surreal omission is the more startling especially given the fact that Raila Odinga did liaise and work with many if not all of these groups at one time or another.
One of his key allies (and yes he was at the book launch) once CHAIRED one of the above named clandestine formations- and it was not that long ago, as a matter of fact.
Perhaps, we can take Agwambo off the hook, arguing in his defence that this book is ABOUT him NOT BY him.
But let us immediately put him back in the dock by pressing the charge that he is complicit in that he must have perused the final manuscript before it was rushed to the printer.
Raila Odinga has promised us the publication of HIS OWN AUTOBIOGRAPHY WRITTEN BY HIM before the end of 2006. So perhaps, the writer of these lines will suspend further judgment for another five months.
Before penning off, a couple of thoughts on the book launch itself.
The MC role was handled very ably by the always erudite PLO Lumumba. Dr. Tom Namwamba, Kenya's world renowned scholar gave a brilliant key note address. The author was personable and modest about his daunting biographical task. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, in a show of ODM unity, showed up for the book launch and showered his alleged nemesis with plaudits and verbal laurels. Raila himself, after hoisting himself on to a table gave a very moving and sweeping address invoking Nelson Mandela, Dedan Kimathi, Kwame Nkrumah etc and referring frequently to Kenya's history of struggle for a better more democratic and prosperous society. Lots of books were bought- and promptly autographed.
Did I have any quibbles?
Well, perhaps.
First, the choice of venue was GHASTLY for symbolic and logistical reasons.
If I were Raila (and of course I am NOT) I would have run in the opposite direction from ANY NAKUMATT location. Given the stench of notoriety that swirls over that Kenyan supermarket chain- with allegations of money laundering, drug dealing and dubious accounting malpractices, NAKUMATT would have been the LAST PLACE to have a book launch associated with a man of Raila’s mien and stature. Was he following the Nyayos of veteran novelist and former activist Ngugi wa Thiongo who used the same exact location not too long to unleash his 1,000 page Gikuyu language magnum opus?
On top of that why did Raila Odinga, an organizing braniac who can easily fill spaces such as Uhuru Park and Nyayo Stadium,choose a tiny up market theatre hall with a capacity of 200?
Entrance being by invitation only, the organizers of the launch edited and BARRED hundreds of patriotic and progressive Kenyans who have been in the trenches much longer than some of the social climbers, hangers on, sycophants and opportunists that I saw slither through the double doors after flashing the all important invitation card surreptitiously distributed on the eve of the event itself.
It was painful to see veteran friends and supporters of Raila like Mr. Justus Wanga (former Vice President of the Kenya Community Abroad) meandering and languishing in the cold; it was saddening to see someone like the human rights lawyer and former political prisoner Ng'ang'a Thiong’o locked out- a man who has been vilified and denounced for breaking ranks with the Nyoomba for among other things heartily campaigning for the Orange side during the November 2005 referendum; why couldn’t anti-establishment Central Kenyan tycoon Wa Njuguna get an official invite? How about gender activist and democrat Betty Murung’i? Wanyiri Kihoro got sneaked in almost at the last minute by one of the senior LDP personnel. How did I know that all these folks were on the outside? Well, guess what...
Related to the above, I observed something that disturbed me as I fast forwarded to next year’s election.
If Raila Odinga and the ODM juggernaut prevails- as is projected by many Kenyans- then the subject of the brand new biography under review must make sure he does something to the phalanx of defenders, supporters, security detail, hangers on and sycophants who literally envelop and cushion him in public- sometimes from his own comrades and fellow travelers.
There are many, many Kenyans who admire, respect and cherish Raila- and they are all NOT in the LDP and ODM.
Someone who is reading this and talks to Agwambo on a regular basis should pass on the message to the Langata MP that Raila represents a national and continental base that could easily wither away if he does not deliberately crane his neck over his immediate circle to see who else is waiting to catch his eye- not necessarily to unleash a newly minted praise song.
Having said the above, let me PUBLICLY COMMEND 3 individuals who were not only sensitive and proactive about the overzealous gate-keepers.
First, Karachuonyo MP and former political prisoner Adhu Awiti for taking the initiative to ENSURE that some of us who had been literally chased from the book launch got partial admission to the space;
Second, Raila’s Personal Aide Dave Arunga who ordered the security guys to stop harassing people arriving to attend the book launch;
Third, but certainly not least, Owad ga Akinyi's life partner Ida who publicly wondered why some people had not been treated fairly.
Let me end on a happy note by reporting on a semi-comical anecdote involving the Kenyan penning these lines.
Remember Richard Otieno Kwach?
His name conjures up different things to different people. The SM Otieno case for some; high-handed court behaviour for some of my advocate pals; judicial sleaze and dishonour for others.
Onyango Oloo remembers him as my former lawyer.
The second one to quit on me during my 1982 sedition trial because I refused to plead guilty.
Well, yesterday, a much more wizened and gray-haired Kwach was making his way in accompanied by Nyatike MP Ochola Ogur when I eye-balled him. I publicly called out his name and firmly grabbed him as I asked him if he remembered me. A temporary blank stare. As I stated my name, he recoiled and attempted to writhe away from my firm grip. Smiling and chuckling throughout, I held on to his surprised palm, urging him to meet my mshikaji and my only surviving bro, loudly announcing to no one in particular that here was the man who abandoned me in my hour of legal need. Rattled, Richard Otieno Kwach scampered to the relative safety of the waiting book-store adorned with the just published Raila biography, promising to talk to me later. I did hold him to his word when he came down to the uninvited plebeians about two hours later when their exclusive shin dig in the upstairs theatre hall was finished. This time we had a very respectful encounter with each of us touching base and exchanging contacts.
What was poignant for me was that both of us had somehow endured the quarter century mutual experience (albeit on different sides) of the horrible kangaroo courts and detentions without trial that united the ordinary Onyango Oloos and the luminary Raila Odinga...
Onyango Oloo
Nairobi, Kenya
