An open letter to Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga

By: Jerry Okungu
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[ Posted On: 2007-11-28 ]

Dear Hon Raila Amolo Odinga,

First, congratulations are in order for a job well done to date. Your untiring efforts to woo voters all over the Republic of Kenya is finally bearing fruit. Your overwhelming majority vote at Kasarani a few weeks ago was proof enough that Kenyans of all tribes, regions, races and walks of life had finally begun to appreciate your message.

Sweet as the victory was, I think it is in order and timely that I write this open letter to you.

In so doing, I hope I will be expressing the feelings and wishes of millions of Kenyans who may feel and wish the same but may not have an opportunity to tell you.

The road ahead is tough and rough. It has many thorns and pebbles lined up all the way.

Another thing, the road ahead is long, very long and perhaps longer than the bit you have traveled even though it may seem short to many people. It therefore demands that you re-energize physically, emotionally and mentally if you have to finish the journey.

Remember that your victory at Kasarani had two audiences all over the republic and beyond. There were those who genuinely celebrated with you. Then there were those who mourned and cursed at the results. However, those who cursed you for winning the ODM nomination did so for personal and sectarian reasons. They did so because you posed a challenge to them in the struggle for power. They cursed because they knew deep down in their hearts that you were a formidable challenger. And with you in the ring; the fight could go either way.

As part of your strategy, I would advise that you look at a few things that you may call house keeping details. Look around you afresh and see what else you can do to strengthen your Pentagon. Remember what William Ruto told you in his surrender speech.

That from then on, you were a choir master. And being the choir master, you needed to turn your back on the masses that were your audience. In doing this, you would give them a chance to see the players in the opera in order to appreciate their music. As the choir master, let the audience see your expertise and fruits of your labor through your team.

I can see the Pentagon, led by your deputy commander is already excelling.

This is what I call delegation with authority!

Another thing; be ware of the likes of some of us who may be carried away by your Kasarani and Uhuru Park crowds. In our zeal to sing your praises, we may forget that the journey is not over yet until it is over; that the hard part is yet to start. This is the time to surround yourself with a carefully selected group that can think strategically without being over excited. Let your team know that you have not entered the State House yet; and that the battles ahead may be even more deadly than the ones you have fought in the past.

Raila Odinga: An Enigma in Kenyan Politics (Politics and History)

Yes, you have proved that you are not really that typical Luo. After all you are the great grandson of Nabongo who ruled Mumia kingdom in the last century. The other day you gave out your children to the Luhya and Kikuyu communities through marriage. How less Luo can you ever be? Yet there are some Luos who, seeing your presidency in the horizon may position themselves to be closer to you than your wife and children. Be ware of these wolves in sheep's clothes.

Their behavior around you may put off other communities. This is the time to prove to all Kenyans that your leadership will be truly Kenyan.

At this point in time, your campaign is perceived to be losing the propaganda war.You need to do a lap of honor around the eight Kenyan provinces that nominated you. Do it with your Pentagon team to thank them for giving you the first round. Tell them that with your team, you are more than ready for the final round to battle it out with other nominees. This lap of honor will reassure all Kenyans that the eloquent speeches made during your endorsement were for real and not for public relations. Kenyans from every region will want to see you at a public rally in their locality with one of their own.

Expand your volunteer base. I know you have had some of the best brains, some of the most qualified organizers so far. But this journey can be taxing and tiring. You may need to inject your team with fresh blood and fresh ideas to propel the core team to greater heights.

Remember the promises you made at Kasarani. You talked of doing things differently. You talked of visionary leadership. You said you were a social democrat and that is what sets you apart from the rest of the pack. You talked of combating inequality, ethnicity and corruption. You talked of paying attention to infrastructure, affirmative action and youth empowerment. You talked of meritocracy in the context of ethnic considerations. These were all wonderful things to hear in a Kenya where meritocracy has been misused to fill positions in the private, public and NGO sectors with individuals from preferred communities. For Kenyans to believe that you will be different, let this diversity be seen at the Pentagon. Let Kenyans of all tribes who want to do something, who want to organize or contribute their labor know that the door is still open and that they are needed.

Should you win the elections and start fighting corruption in your government, do not be blinded by the vice in the public sector alone. You may need to set another KACC to deal with the menace in the private sector and Civil Society organizations. Grand corruption, nepotism and tribalism are more ripe in these areas than in the public sector. The impunity we talk of in the public sector is ten times worse in the private sector. There, CEOs are gods unto themselves.

Right now you may have gatekeepers who are already scheming on how to own you and keep you away from the media, the masses or the people they perceive not to be good enough to be in contact with you. Such characters are always there in a political process like this one.

Remember such characters did shut many Kenyans out soon after Mwai Kibaki won the elections. In fact the gate to Kibaki's home was closed even before he was sworn in. You don't have to repeat the same mistakes that other people have done. You are a natural people person. I advise that you remain that way. Remain a Mandela even after obtaining power

When you form your first cabinet; keep the faith with Kenyans. Do not focus on your friends, relatives, tribe and political sycophants. Remember that the Dorobos, Ogieks, Samburus, Pokots, Subas, Pokomos, Mijikenda, Giriamas and the Karamoja may just provide you with as capable performers as the Luos, Kikuyus, Luhyas, Kambas, Kisiis and Merus in your government

When you finally get to State House, appoint a Dorobos or an Ogiek as your first State House Controller. That way you will avoid being branded a Luo tribalist. Another thing; you will have broken away with tradition.

As you approach this critical stage, you now need a Chief of Staff. You need a tough spokesman who can be convincing, believable, logical, trustworthy and likable across the board.

You will need someone who can talk on your behalf on a range of issues without fear of contraction. This way your behaviour will already be presidential even before the real battle begins.

To avoid being overworked and exhausted, make full use of the Pentagon ( or is it the Hexagon since Mama Rainbow joined the team?) to cover campaign plans for the whole country. Let each member be the focal point in his area. You are lucky that in Rift Valley, Eastern, North Eastern, Nairobi, Western, Coast, Central and Nyanza provinces, you have formidable individuals in every region to lead your campaigns. As the conductor of the choir, you don't have to play the instruments. All you need is to read the notes and conduct the team.

The media in this country is varied and hostile at times. Sometimes they can behave like grown up babies. They will need a lot of baby-sitting by experienced nannies who will know when they are crying and for what. They have the tendency to build or ruin your campaign. Speak up when you feel any one of them has gone overboard. Sometimes they respect an individual who can confront them with facts when they have erred.

Take time to assess your opponents. Right now you can only see three of them. Chances are that more will come out of the woods. However of the three opponents in the person of Kalonzo Musyoka, Pastor Muiru and Mwai Kibaki; do not underestimate or underrate them.

Kalonzo may not have the resources or the network that a presidential campaign requires.

All the same he can be deadly destructive. Seek him out if he is indeed interested in revisiting your relationship with him. Remember, when you become the president of Kenya; you will be every opponent's president for five years!

As for Mwai Kibaki; please remember that he is the sitting president and being one, he has the resources and connections necessary to let him sail through easily. He has the government machinery and state security at his disposal during the campaign. This is the reality of what you are up against.

As the campaign gets into top gear, some media houses may attempt to switch you off air or even give you negative publicity. Be ready to adopt as appropriate and challenge the insurmountable without any signs of panic because the coming campaign period will be a time of many trials and tribulations.

At this critical moment travel less to foreign lands. Concentrate your energies at home now.

And while on a campaign trail; set your camp in Nyeri, Embu, Meru, Machakos and Kitui and let them know you are first a Kenya, then a Luo and finally, Raila Odinga.

Let them feel and touch you to know you are real. Do not fear them. Tell them that the only thing you fear is fear itself.

Finally, let your opponents not bog you down with the majimbo debate at the expense of more disserving issues on corruption, integrity, Anglo Leasing, Golden Berg, Githongo diaries, Kroll Reports, the new constitution and devolution of power and resources that made many Kenyans pay dearly with their lives in the last decade.

Insist that you intend to face the dragons of corruption, tribalism, inequality and uneven distribution of national resources head on and will not be distracted by falsehoods on majimboism.

Tell your distracters that majimboism means federalism which in turn means devolution of political power and resources to the regions without victimizing Kenyans on ethnic grounds.

Tell them that it means the constitution compels a unitary government to cede some of its powers to the regions for effective and fair management of national resources.

Tell them that South Africa, Nigeria, Sudan, Uganda are some of the politically and economically devolved states in Africa before you mention Germany, United Kingdom, United States and Canada as successful federal states.

Tell them that in these countries, there has never been any ethnic cleansing as Moi and company would like Kenyans to believe.

Tell them that the one year that Kenya practiced majimboism between December 12 1963 and December 1964, there were no evictions on ethnic lines from any part of Kenya. Tell them that the independence majimbo constitution was destroyed by KANU because it was a KADU political ideology just like the current majimbo proposal is being demonized by your party opponents.

With these few words, I wish you the very best in your campaigns ahead and I look forward to writing to you another letter soon after December 27 this year!

Yours Sincerely
Jerry Okungu
jerryokungu@hotmail.com

Related Article: In Helicopter or Hummer, Kenya Presidential Contender Raila Odinga Dazzles

Article Source: http://www.afroarticles.com/article-dashboard

Jerry Okungu is a freelance political analyst based in Nairobi, Kenya. Jerry also serves as a Board Director at The Kenya Broadcasting Corporation. Jerry has written extensively on issues affecting Kenya and the rest of Africa over the years. Other articles written by Jerry Okungu are available at this location

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