The Big Boys: Raila Enters Global Political Arena in Style

As V-P leads ministers in prematurely absolving ECK of electoral malpractices

The Big Boys:Nkurunziza, Mutharika, Mbeki, Schwab, Kufuor, Odinga
(WEF 04/06/2008) (Picture courtesy World Economic Forum)

In his first official trip abroad as Prime Minister, Raila is significantly representing Kenya at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, South Africa where more than a dozen African leaders together with over 800 participants from 50 countries are participating in the 18th World Economic Forum on Africa. WEF is a prestigious global event which brings together senior government figures and high-level international business leaders in order to plan for a more integrated world and at the same time help both groups make connections which will boost investments.

That Raila Odinga is leading Kenya’s high powered delegation to WEF speaks volumes about the elevated status of Kenya’s statesman. His opening remarks at the conference clearly indicate the formal emergence of Raila in global politics. It also signifies a new chapter in Kenya’s dormant foreign affairs policy.

In a keynote speech at the opening plenary session yesterday, Raila was accorded a thunderous applause by conference delegates when he rebuked African leaders whom he accused of turning a blind eye to poor governance and disrespect of democracy. Said Raila: "The mediocrity with which Africa has been ruled is what is responsible for African underdevelopment."

To more applause, he also attacked Zimbabwe's government: "Still today, it is unfortunate that in an African country elections can be held and no results are announced for more than one month, and African leaders are silent about it. It would not happen in Europe."

These remarks were made in front of six African Heads of State including Thabo Mbeki of South Africa who many hold directly responsible for sustaining the dictatorship of Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe. No other African leader, even within the SADC, has ever told-off Mbeki to his face on his preferred and obviously unworkable method of ‘quiet-diplomacy’ while the majority of Zimbabwean citizens languish in poverty and widespread hunger. Read the news report on Raila's speech here.

Back in Kenya, in an even more politically significant development, the Nairobi Star daily newspaper published an interesting report today that said Raila is due to be reinvented when he shall be installed as a Kikuyu Elder in a ceremony to be held on July 20 at the famous Riringu Stadium a few miles from Mukuruwe wa Nyagathanga – the mythical home of the Kikuyu Adam and Eve – Gikuyu and Mumbi. The ceremony is being organized by a group of Kikuyu elders and politicians operating under the umbrella of economic inclined MEGA – a breakaway faction of the tribal inclined GEMA – which incidentally also held a meeting recently in a bid to reinvent itself.

The same day Raila was addressing the WEF conference, a group of cabinet ministers led by V-P Kalonzo Musyoka were making categorical and shocking remarks that not one single individual in the ECK will ever be charged in a court of law for events that led to the post election violence last December! Kalonzo insisted that ECK Commissioners did not commit any electoral malpractices and that Kivuitu and all his fellow commissioners would go ahead a serve their full terms.

While Raila is representing Kenya at economically beneficial event in SA, the PNU crowd are busy opening healed wounds and trying very hard to trigger ethnic divisions in Embakasi constituency in the name of campaigning for a PNU candidate.

What has shocked observers is that although the Kriegler commission has just begun its work, it seems Kenyans are being prepared in advance to accept that whatever the findings of the Kriegler team, its recommendations will not be acted upon. This was the Vice President of Kenya speaking without batting an eyelid.

The conduct of leaders in handling public affairs has never been under so much scrutiny. What has happened in this country since December 2007 has clearly built and fortified the image of Raila to an impregnable level and he is now a depiction of an accomplished African statesman who has shown great level of restraint, torelance and leadership at a time when Kalonzo, Uhuru, Karua and their henchmen are hell bent on driving this nation towards ruin. The principals of good governance that Raila spoke about at the WEF conference cannot be seen in the utterances of any of our local PNU leaders.

This is why I am today making a prediction that many will agree with. Barring an assassination, continental pundits, including yours trully, have already placed their bets that Raila will be Kenya’s next president and ODM will leave the Kalonzo/Uhuru/Karua axis trailing a distant second.

The next elections are scheduled for 2012 but may come as early as 2010 depending on the unity of the grand coalition government and also whether or not a new constitution passes the referendum test.

Have you placed your bet yet?