In Remembrance of Obama's Cousin, Raila Odinga
Posted: Fri Mar 08, 2013 10:07 pm
One day, you will remember Raila Amolo Odinga. A leader who fought for multi-partism and democracy. A leader who accepted the pain of torture and detention. Without him, there would be no TNA, URP, FORD, ODM and the likes.
One day you will remember Raila Amolo Odinga. The only luo leader who endorsed a Kikuyu president and through him, the Rainbow Coalition was formed. Kibaki, a kikuyu, became president. And when the time to return the favour came, the people from the mountains turned their faces against him. They called him a dictator and a tribalist. Yet, he had once supported one of their own....
One day you will remember Raila Amolo Odinga. A leader determined to save the Mau forest. And when he condemned illegal harvesting of trees by settlers in the forests, he was called a betrayer by the people from the valley. To them, Raila Amolo Odinga was suppossed to sit back and watch forests burn, since the people from the valley had voted for him in 2007.
One day you will remember Raila Amolo Odinga. A leader whose presidential votes were stolen by someone he once endorsed to be president. But he humbled himself, almost looking like the looser, and worked with the then president, just to prevent further bloodshed. It was like a woman who has been tortured by her husband. She runs away from home and comes back later, because of her love for her confused children and forgiveness for her husband.
You will not remember him now, because right now, he's a dictator, betrayer and a tribalist to you. But a day is coming when the whole nation will remember Raila Amolo Odinga....the best president....we never had.
