Raila Odinga: An Enigma in Kenyan politics, a book by Dr. Babafemi Adesina Badejo traces the journey of one individual, Raila Amolo Odinga, as he negotiates the treacherous political terrain of post-independence Kenya. Dr. Badejo draws upon his enviable skills as a political analyst – he has served as a senior political advisor for the United Nations in Somalia and Liberia and wrote his PhD dissertation at UCLA on politics and planning in Pakistan – to construct a compelling account of key events in the conception and existence of the Kenyan state. His achievement is to render accessible both the complex political history of Kenya and the personal story of one of the most influential and controversial actors on the contemporary Kenyan political scene. "Raila Odinga: An Enigma in Kenyan Politics" is an excellent introduction for the uninitiated to the complex landscape of Kenyan politics. Kenya’s recent history reads like a Shakespearian tale, full of dramatic intrigue, intricate conspiracies and king-making plots. The political scene has been dominated by two figures in particular – Jomo Kenyatta, the country’s inaugural President, and Daniel Toroitich arap Moi, who was Kenyatta’s successor as President. Kenyatta and Moi ruled over Kenya with an iron fist for four decades, from independence in 1963 until 2002. Following promising pluralistic beginnings, Kenyatta and Moi used all the tools at their disposal to consolidate power and marginalize political opponents. Kenyatta pursued policies that turned Kenya into a de facto one-party state under the control of the Kenya African National Union (KANU). Moi went a step further, by passing a law that made Kenya a de jure one-party state. Political rivals therefore had to join KANU or risk being imprisoned and/or murdered for dissent. Nevertheless, throughout these tumultuous times, brave individuals and groups continued to struggle, at considerable personal cost, to turn Kenya into a multi-party democracy. Raila Odinga is one such individual. As the book's title suggests, Raila Amolo Odinga is indeed an enigma. Born to a privileged life, Raila has fought for the rights of the common Kenyan. Drawn to socialist activism during the Cold War, he proved a canny leader in private enterprise before reinventing himself as a liberal democrat. Presented with the easy option of a safe parliamentary seat in his rural ethnic stronghold, Raila instead pursued the challenge of a seat in Nairobi’s multi-ethnic suburbs. Committed to democracy and the rule of law, he supported a failed coup attempt launched by members of Kenya’s military forces. Considered a shrewd strategist, Raila gave up the opportunity to flee into exile and subsequently spent a decade behind bars, denied the right to a fair trial and subjected to torture and inhuman treatment. A steadfast critic and persecuted victim of the Moi regime, Raila nevertheless entered an alliance with his adversary. When things turned sour, he placed the defeat of his opponent’s agenda above personal ambition, playing a pivotal role in the victory of President Mwai Kibaki in 2002. Systematically sidelined by yet another President, Raila campaigned against Kibaki’s proposals for constitutional reform, securing a resounding “no” vote in the 2005 referendum. "Raila Odinga: An Enigma in Kenyan Politics" begins with an overview of the life and political career of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Raila’s father and a celebrated figure of Kenyan independence. Jaramogi was Kenya’s initial Vice-President before being side-lined by President Jomo Kenyatta. The book then explores Jaramogi and Raila’s Luo heritage, describing the manner in which their ethnic origins both furthered and restricted their nationalist political ambitions. In so doing, the book illustrates how ethnicity has often been employed as tool of fear and divisiveness to prevent challenges to the power of the dominant Kenyan political elite. The book then turns to the making of Raila Odinga. We learn of his upbringing and his education, including his engineering studies in East Germany, where he followed the events of the Cold War with strong sympathy for the communist cause. Upon his return to Kenya, Raila began a promising career in academia, before turning his attention to business and ultimately to politics. Meanwhile, President Kenyatta systematically undermined Raila’s father, reneging on a gentleman’s agreement to support Jaramogi as his successor and turning his favour instead towards Daniel arap Moi. Following Kenyatta’s death in August 1978, Raila and Jaramogi moved to establish an alternative political party to challenge the ruling KANU. Moi responded by passing legislation outlawing the registration of alternative political parties. On 17 June 1982 Kenya formally became a one-party state. Raila Odinga’s life changed dramatically in August 1982. On 31 July 1982 a group of junior military men in the Kenyan Air Force, who were predominantly Luo in origin, launched a coup attempt designed to wrest power from the Moi regime. The attempt was foiled and while the putshchists claimed they had intended to set up a purely military political leadership, the Odingas were suspected of involvement. Raila remained at large within Kenya for ten days, before being incarcerated on 11 August 1982. He then spent nine years behind bars in three stints over the following decade. As previously noted, he was denied the right to a fair trial and subjected to torture and degrading treatment. At the same time, he earned a reputation for bravery and was perceived as someone with the capacity to suffer individual depravation in the interest of others. Following his release on 21 June 1991 from a third and final stint in prison, Raila joined his father to work for the repeal of the Kenyan law banning alternative political parties. The Moi government eventually bowed to international pressure on that front after donors moved in November 1991 to suspend aid for a period of six months. The offending law was repealed on 10 December 1991. Three weeks later, the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD), which Jaramogi and Raila helped to create, was registered as a political party. The remainder of the book is devoted to tracing Raila’s political and business activities between the early 1990s and the current day. Developments reveal Raila’s immense resourcefulness and chameleonic ability to reposition both himself and his allies to take full advantage of changing political currents. Raila wins the seat of Lang’ata in Nairobi as a FORD candidate in 1992. Following his father’s death in January 1994, he leaves a fracturing FORD to assume the reins of the National Development Party and retains Lang’ata in a bi-election. In the 1997 election, Raila comes third in the race for President, whilst also retaining his seat of Lang’ata. Following the 1997 election, Raila engages in daring political acrobatics by first aligning his party with Moi’s ruling KANU party, then bringing about a complete merger, then leading a rebellion in the lead-up to the 2002 elections that has the effect of torpedoing Moi’s future dynastic designs. In the process, Raila plays a pivotal role in securing the election of Moi's successor, President Mwai Kibaki. The final act in this engrossing drama provides an example of history repeating itself as Kibaki, like Kenyatta before him, reneges on a gentleman’s agreement to grant an Odinga a pivotal office in government, this time the position of Prime Minister. Raila, disillusioned by Kibaki’s retreat from that and other promises, as well as by the manner in which Kibaki has steered the constitutional reform process away from its original charted course, campaigns for a “no” vote in the 2005 referendum on constitutional reform. Yet again, this political phoenix succeeds in denying success to a political adversary. "Raila Odinga: An Enigma in Kenyan Politics" concludes with a fascinating epilogue in which a range of commentators, including the subject himself, express their views on the ambitions, strengths and weaknesses of Raila Amolo Odinga. These opinions demonstrate Odinga’s power to inspire strong sentiments in supporters and opponents alike. Supporters cast him as a noble warrior in the common cause, fighting for democracy, transparency and accountability. Opponents, on the other hand, portray him as a desperate adversary who would stop at nothing to achieve his political ends. Raila Odinga himself acknowledges that he has been criticized for changing political parties, but maintains that he has never compromised his principles. Quoting another political survivor par excellence, Sir Winston Churchill, he states: ‘Some men change their party for the sake of their principles; others change their principles for the sake of their party.’ Dr. Jeremy Matam Farrall, University of Tasmania, Australia.

For more comments on the book, click here