Raila has been a voice for the voiceless, nothing has changed

Henry Ford once said, “I’m looking for a lot of men with an infinite capacity for not knowing what can’t be done.” And it is true; Kenya is looking at such men and women – brave transformers who will stop at nothing to turn around our country wherever it is headed south. Raila Odinga is one man who has etched his name into the hallmarks of history. He has distinguished himself through extraordinary courage to confront self and also situations.

The attack on Raila by Gitobu Imanyara in The Standard on July 9 was disturbing and uncalled for. The lawyer ignored history or attempted to delete it. Mr Gitobu misread the strategy as he insulted the very freedoms he once fought and stood for. He should be made aware of the old adage, “if you are an eye that once failed and needed treatment, never frown at the eye of he, who cleaned you up, dressed you up and removed residue from you! If you do so, it may come back to haunt you one day”.

On July 7, Kenya marked 35 years since the first historic Saba Saba of 1990. The day has always marked a rallying cry of the generation fed up with silence, control, and manipulation. This year's Saba Saba anniversary was also inspired by the bold resistance of Gen Z protestors in Kenya.

The Gen Z protests, which gained unstoppable momentum in June 2024, after the government introduced the Finance Bill that proposed higher taxes on essential goods and services. It was a clear sign that some leaders were disconnected from the pain on the ground. Kenyans were already living through the pressures of high unemployment, a crumbling economy and a rising inequality. Gen Z considered the Bill to be a betrayal.

Raila donated some of his ODM Party experts to be appointed Cabinet Secretaries after his handshake with President William Ruto to form the broad-based government as the country was on the verge of collapsing. The action managed to hold the country together. Raila once again became the manifesto for the fearless, a battle cry for the oppressed and a testament of the unbreakable spirit of those who dare stand tall for the sake of our country.

Since July 7, 1990, anyone ready to challenge oppression, ignite change, and live courageously with insight, clarity, and conviction has been attending the Saba Saba demonstrations. It is unfortunate that some demonstrations have sometimes been hit by violence and looting.

Just as Raila has done over the past decades, he stood and was ready to lead Kenyans during the Saba Saba demonstrations at the historical Kamukunji grounds in Nairobi. He made the public aware of his intent to hold the rally. Unfortunately, this was never to be. The heavy presence of the police and barricading of the roads would not allow them to access the historic grounds.

Imanyara claimed that Raila addressed the press at the Serena Hotel as an opportunist seeking relevance. These are distortions of facts. As a survivor, an architect, and a custodian of that history, Raila addressed the nation.

Raila himself is a powerful manifesto. He has always overcome fear. Nowhere is fear’s grip more insidious than in the realm of politics where it has been weaponised to subjugate people. He knows very well that fear has been used as a tool to dominate and divide the Kenyans. He has also known how people of conscience have over time dismantled the systems and reclaimed their voices and lost glory.

For Imanyara, a lawyer steeped in human rights jurisprudence, to question Raila’s right to support Gen Zs while working with Ruto’s government is laughable. It betrays a selective application of the very principles Imanyara once fought for: Freedom of thought, of speech, and of association.

Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects the right to freedom of expression “without interference.” Article 20 protects the right to “freedom of peaceful assembly and association.” Imanyara seems to forget that Raila is entitled, morally and legally, to support anyone that he wishes to and to speak as he sees fit. To disparage him for exercising these rights is both condescending and hypocritical. It is a curious kind of puritanism that demands people fit neatly into the categories you yourself find acceptable — and a dangerous precedent for any democracy.

As a true democrat, Raila has always known that fear is the invisible chain that binds people to mediocrity, submission and despair. It is the silent weapon wielded by oppressors to keep us cowering, to stifle our dreams, and suffocate our potential. As Audre Lorde declared so as Raila, “your silence will not protect you.” Raila has always remained a voice for the voiceless throughout his political career.

Imanyara’s criticism of Raila’s alliance with Ruto smacks of historical amnesia. Since when did strategic political alliances become evidence of moral bankruptcy? Politics is not a purity contest. It is, as game theorists would argue, a dynamic negotiation under constraints, where cooperation between unlikely partners is often the rational path to achieving broader goals. There is enough evidence that Imanyara was a key supporter of Raila's brand of politics.

Raila, for many years, has stayed on course in order to make a lasting difference in society. He has always achieved because of his strong traits. He has always kept his eyes on the goal while at the same time minding the means and methods that he uses to achieve his goals. How he does what he does and what he wants to achieve have always been his priority. The end does not justify the means. His means too have always been right and honouring his long political resilience.

Raila, among the other of his contemporaries have been tortured, humiliated and detained for the best of our country. History records that he has never given up. He has always given himself for the best of his countrymen. Some have never recognised him, others have. From such sacrifice, Kenyans are now enjoying lots of freedoms. He has given all for the sake of our people's peace and unity. He has never looked at communities or tribes. He has always loved everyone!