In a rare occurrence, ODM leader Raila Odinga found himself in a tight corner after he faced a shock hostile reception in Kisii where he had gone for a Shabana FC event – in a dramatic turn of political fortunes in his former stronghold.
And to make it worse for the former Prime Minister, when he stood to address the crowd, there was a massive and noisy walkout from Gusii Stadium that almost drowned his voice. Shabana FC fans who had attended the event to witness the launch Club’s new kits walked out on him in an embarrassing moment.
Raila who was fresh from signing an MOU with President William Ruto has enjoyed fanatical following in Kisii for two decades and the events on Sunday left his followers and pundits seeking answers as to whether it was the beginning of his political decline.
The booing and the walkout was immediately blamed on several issues and individuals with the recent handshake with Ruto top on the list.
His criticism of former Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i who hails from the area and who is being pushed to vie for the presidency is seen as another factor that led to the hostilities.
Raila was quoted in the media criticizing Matiang’i who is very popular with the Kenyan youths popularly known as Gen Zs and coupled with the handshake with Ruto – whom the Gen Zs have declared as their enemy number one may have tipped the scales against the ODM leader.
MP Peter Orero told Raila not to blame anyone for the heckling and booing saying that it was Raila who put himself in the mess he did not create. He said what he saw and witnessed in the stadium was the actual situation on the ground.
Former Cabinet Minister Kipruto Kirwa has also criticised Raila for his handshake with Ruto and declaring Raila as the true “watermelon” who distorts the Kenyan political space.
“So we are dealing with what I call the Raila phenomenon. Where politics is defined by the convenience of an individual who does not believe an election ought to define a particular formation. Therefore, the watermelon name they have given to Kalonzo has now come true of Raila. He is a watermelon, and Kenyans have been kind to him to be forgiving him for all these mistakes he makes,” he said.
Kirwa went to say that Raila and Ruto could be planning to run a joint ticket in 2027 saying the recent MOU was just a political gimmick to hoodwink the people.
“This is just a political gimmick. Let us not call it anything else. They are just planning to run together. I suspect they could merge the two parties, or Ruto will dissolve UDA and join ODM; after all, he started his journey in ODM as one of the Pentagon members,” he said
