After the 2017 General elections, amidst campaign to secede by NASA coalition,
Raila ambushed former NASA partners with a handshake. On his part, a clever Uhuru breached a non-disclosure agreement and kept Deputy President William Ruto in the picture. Ruto even nominated representatives to the BBI Taskforce, a political benefit that none of the ODM coalition partners had.
Thereafter, the ODM unilaterally disbanded NASA coalition, spoke ill of both Wiper and ANC Party leaders, and failed to insure itself against future betrayals. NASA is effectively dead and ODM is finding it very hard to create new coalitions having burnt bridges with
The ODM also made it known publicly that it would no longer play the opposition role. In fact, Raila became the face, promoter and diplomat of many unpopular government projects. Raila even defended the callous management of the coronavirus pandemic by GoK.
ODM legislators then joined their Jubilee counterparts in tenderprenuership and wanton looting of government coffers. Ruto could no longer be used as a scapegoat for grand corruption bedeviling the government. Kenyans can clearly see what it means to have ODM in control of state coffers.
The story foes not end there. Uhuru then embarked on a multibillion infrastructure project implementation in his Kikuyu Counties. Huge loans to coffee farmers were written off. In Raila stronghold of Western, sugar factories were collapsed by unregulated imports, farmers were burdened by government debt.
At the same time, assets and mega-employers such as Pan African Paper Mill were privatised irregularly, and the general economy in Western region was left to fend for itself. Milk, Sugar and other products were smuggled into the country rendering the overtaxed Western farmer totally helpless.
Even as Raila welcomed Uhuru to Kisumu several times and popularised the handshake and the BBI, Uhuru never bothered reciprocate Raila’s gesture in his strongholds of Central region. In fact, it is almost as if the President only wanted to use Raila to gain legitimacy and get rid of Deputy President William Ruto.
Meanwhile, the promised internal reforms within the ODM have barely been implemented. The same systems that led to its poor performance in the counties during the 2017 General election are still very much in place, save for a cosmetic change in the National Election Board. The eagerly awaited party grassroot elections have been postponed severally and from look of things they may not happen before the 2022 General election.
In the interim period, the Party lost several by-elections it should not have lost. There is no one to tell the king he is naked and headed for a ballot humiliation.
