Arguments have been
made on the fallen Kenyan political maestro Raila Odinga as a leader whose
political imprints into the sands of our time are at best enigmatic.
Yes, it is
arguably and factually true that the former Prime Minister is a politician of
many exceptional firsts in Kenya. In 1994 he resigned as MP on Ford-Kenya
ticket to seek reelection on NDP ticket.
So far, the first and
the only time a political leader made such a bold step in Kenya’s history.
A lot of times, many political leaders have made bold declarations on podiums
but not in act.
Raila took a bold step to enliven his convictions when in the
by-elections of 1996 for Lang’ata parliamentary seat; he won the seat back on a
different ticket.
Political boldness
may not necessarily be expressed through resignations from political seats and
contesting by-elections but one lesson any politician would draw from Raila’s
feat is boldness of decisions and convictions in pursuit of common good for all
Kenyans.
Kenyan leaders from all walks should embrace boldness in decision
making on matters that are at the core of our governance.
Our collective foray into the future shall
surely not be with the former ODM leader in person but we should carry valour in
our hearts even as we collectively deal with our present socioeconomic and
political challenges.
In Article 27 of the
Constitution, the Supreme Law of the land proclaims equity and
non-discrimination in all spheres of our national life.
There is so much
progress Kenya has made, notably through devolution to bring governance and
government services closer areas that were previously underserved. Raila was an
ardent champion of devolution to the point of his passing on.
As the country
witnesses this historical moment, mourning and celebrating the life of the
departed political titan, leaders must be ready to bear the torch of devolution
and even make it better to serve and even bring greater equity and inclusion of
Kenyans from all walks.
Raila’s major
political decisions were characterised by sobriety, reconciliation and
forgiveness more so during Kenya’s most difficult periods when the country
threatened to go asunder under the weight of fragile political cleavages.
The year 2007 when
the aftermath of contested general election almost irredeemably tore into the
Kenyan socioeconomic and political fabric, Raila, unlike what many political
leaders of his stature would do, accepted to work with President Mwaki Kibaki
in a coalition arrangement which restored sanity into the Kenyan
polity.
Perhaps many Kenyans would remember the vividness with which the he
supported universal education for all Kenyan children. He believed in education
as a great equaliser in the society.
In a virtual public lecture at the
University of Nairobi in 2021, Raila underscored his strong belief in education
that prepares the youth for the fast-evolving workspace.
This futuristic
thinking in skilling of our youth should underlie any current and future
reforms in the education sector. There has not been any other time in our
recent history that technological evolution is foreshadowing fundamental
changes in the workspace.
The World Economic
Forum’s report ‘Future of Jobs’ January 2025, projects that an estimated 39 per
cent of existing skill sets will be transformed or become outdated between 2025
and 2030.
This anticipated ‘skill instability’ is not all doom and gloom as
skill upgrade through training, retraining, reskilling and/or upskilling could
help Kenyan youth seize opportunities presented in the evolving work landscape.
With these projected monumental changes in the workplace, our leaders must
carry Raila’s futuristic vision even as the country fast-tracks educational
reforms to prepare our youth for present and future workplace.
Thinking grand and
being strategic was quite outstanding in the former premier’s manifestos for
Kenya in some of the recent electioneering campaigns and even in the recent campaigns
for African Union chairperson in 2025. Raila in life expressed grand goals for
Kenya, which leaders would need to embrace and synergise efforts to achieve.
For instance, in January this year in Tanzania, the former ODM leader
underscored his desire to see Africa sufficiently lit up with clean and
reliable energy.
Kenya’s rural communities still suffer a disproportionate
inadequate access to electricity and thus a majority relies on unsustainable
sources of energy, including traditional biomass, according to Ministry of
Energy and Petroleum’s plan ‘Kenya National Energy Compact 2025-2030.’
Kenya under President
William Ruto is making strides towards universal energy access. In his remarks
at Raila’s funeral, Ruto committed to ensure that Kenya realises energy
sufficiency. The immense importance of energy sufficiency for Kenya’s cannot be
gainsaid and our political leaders need to keep vision alive.
Lastly, it is a great
privilege to have shared out living memory with the veteran political leader.
In him we Kenyans of all walks of life have learnt of the essence of reliance
even in the darkest of hours.
We may be grappling
with many issues today, but with resilience we are able to overcome even the
severest of torments. We must live to cherish the memories of Raila and
build a better society for current and future generation.
The writer is a security expert and
political commentator in Nairobi
