Embu: Members of the Embu Council of Elders have paid tribute to Former Premier and ODM Leader, Raila Odinga, describing him as a political icon of democracy and a defender of human rights in the country. Led by the Council Patron and former Runyenjes Member of Parliament (MP), Njeru Kathangu, the elders highlighted Raila’s significant role in shaping the nation’s political landscape over a career spanning nearly six decades.
According to Kenya News Agency, Kathangu, who was detained alongside Raila and others, such as Kenneth Matiba, Charles Rubia, and George Anyona in 1990 for organizing nationwide protests against Moi’s dictatorship, emphasized Raila’s pivotal role in restoring multi-party politics and democracy in 1991. Speaking during a Council meeting in Runyenjes Town, Kathangu noted that although Raila never achieved the presidency in the five times he contested, no one has influenced the country’s political landscape since independence as he has.
Kathangu acknowledged that Raila managed to shape successive governments by holding them accountable to ensure good governance and respect for the rights of ordinary Kenyans. He remarked that despite his political journey being marked by controversy since entering the political scene in 1982 during the coup and his perceived involvement, Raila has etched his name in the country’s history as a father of Kenyan democracy.
Recalling Raila’s courage, Kathangu mentioned the time when Raila moved from his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to KANU and became the party’s Secretary General, a decision that angered his opposition colleagues. “I asked him why he had decided to move to KANU when we were actually fighting so hard against it, and he told me he wanted to go and face-off with political giants in the party,” Kathangu recalled. He noted that true to his word, KANU eventually broke up, and Raila later supported Mwai Kibaki with his ‘Kibaki Tosha’ declaration at Uhuru Park in 2002, which led to Kibaki’s election victory.
Dr. Julius Njue, the Council Secretary, stated that there is currently no one in the country’s political landscape who can match Raila’s political abilities. “We might miss a man of Raila’s caliber for a long time in Kenya,” he noted, adding that Raila has been an icon of democracy in the country.
The Council Women Wing Chair, Margaret Nyaga, expressed her admiration for Raila’s energy and determination. “He managed to mobilize and inspire his people and many others, so that they could join his course and spend energy on achieving it,” she said.