Now what, Baba?

 Raila Amolo Odinga, the doyen of Kenya’s opposition politics is involved in a titanic fight of his political life. As many commentators have noted, this is the last chance he has to attempt to win the presidency. I wish I could call it a realistic chance, but unfortunately, it is far from realistic; it is improbable.

So what now, Baba? I don’t think the options are many, in fact, unless he still has a joker hidden under the table that no one knows about, his options have greatly dwindled. If he chooses to run, the biggest headache will be what team he will go with to give him any realistic chance. He has antagonized most of those he has worked with in the past and I don’t see Kalonzo and Wetangula playing ball so easily, although that cannot be ruled out.

The other option would be to support a team that can deliver the presidency with which he will have great favor. It will not give him the satisfaction of being president, but if they win, he will go down history as the most prolific king-maker. And that is not a very bad record to hold, one might say!

What about supporting a team that would be willing to let him have a go in the next election? Farfetched. He will be old then, approaching 80 and that is no time to be breaking bones in election campaigns, getting insulted by people who could be his grandchildren.

Yet another very farfetched thought—could RAO gang up with Ruto against UK in 2017? Hmmm; that sounds juicy stuff for political minds, but trust me, no card is too wild to be played when a man is up against a wall.

One thing is clear in my mind; RAO may never rule Kenya, but his contribution to the political development of this nation cannot be taken away from him. And that in my view is one good reason why RAO should consider taking a long holiday in some exotic destination and not come back until the next president is announced.

Bad politics, bad life!

Kenya's second president, Daniel Moi once said "bad politics equals poor quality of life"  I will not validate the self made professor of politics for this statement because in my view it was said in bad faith at least then, equating opposition politics with bad politics and blaming it for the suffering of the people.

But the statement merely restates the very reason why we have politics in the first place--to guide the life of society and so yes, how we do that determines how our societies evolve. That applies everywhere, in Kenya in the region, in the world.  So the world is watching as the big powers such as USA and Britain go through important transitions, watching as Kenya gets ready for another election cycle, holding our breath as South Sudan grapples with its seeming intractable conflict. May good politics carry the day and move our society forward because our very survival depends on it.