Raila’s Complex US Relationship Exposed
Times have certainly transformed! It was once unimaginable to think that Raila Odinga, renowned as a champion of democracy, would criticize a U.S. diplomat for commending how a national election was carried out in Kenya. However, the situation has shifted.
Raila’s critique of Ambassador Meg Whitman’s approval of the previous year’s elections as “the most open, just, and trustworthy” has caused a rift among people but probably hasn’t come as a shock to many. The leader of Azimio has shared a multifaceted connection with the Western country, marked by a blend of collaboration, reproach, and intermittent disillusionment.
Over the past few months, Raila has strongly criticized the United States whenever there’s even a slight suggestion of them meddling in Kenya’s domestic matters, particularly following the superpower’s objection to protests against the government.
Raila has alleged that Washington is prioritizing its business interests over Kenya’s democratic values. He has even gone so far as to assert that the US played a role in putting President William Ruto in power.
The ex-Prime Minister maintains that he was unfairly denied his win and has criticized the US for applying inconsistent democratic principles. He referred to the results of the previous year’s election as something that would not be deemed acceptable in a properly functioning democratic system.
This marks a significant shift in circumstances for Kenya, as its advocates for change admired the United States as a symbol of optimism and a secure place for individuals seeking refuge from government authorities.
ALSO READ: “Keep Your Mouth Shut!” Raila Warns US Ambassador
Fast forward to the devolution conference in Eldoret on Thursday: “We want to tell a rogue ambassador ‘Leave Kenyans alone’… Kenya is not the US. Kenya is not a colony of the United States. Keep your mouth shut while you are here. Otherwise, we’ll call for your recall to your country.”
During the peak of the effort to establish a fresh Constitution that supported decentralization, whenever opposition-inclined diplomatic missions advised the government to uphold the Constitution, its most ardent supporters would respond by asserting that Kenya maintained full sovereignty.
Raila issued a response to the speech given by the US ambassador during the same forum on Wednesday.
“Kenya held what many analysts and commentators say was the freest, fairest, and most credible election in Kenyan history… The election was observed by local and international election organizations and the results were upheld by the Kenyan Supreme Court,” said Whitman, who yesterday attended President William Ruto’s meeting with US Senator Chris Coons.
Raila has also held meetings with the US senator before the engagements with Ruto, culminating in the freshest attempt at bipartisan talks.
“At State House, Nairobi held talks with US Senator Chris Coons who appreciated Kenya as one of the most vibrant democracies in the world,” Ruto tweeted after the meeting.
Raila, known for his outspoken nature, would hold a contrasting view to Ruto’s claim about the strength of Kenya’s democracy. This led to his critical comments towards Whitman, possibly the strongest critique of a US representative in recent times. These comments were made shortly after he met with Coons. Raila had previously labeled Coons as “a friend,” a term he often employs to describe the United States.
ALSO READ: Ruto Troops Clap Back to Raila’s Warning on US Ambassador
Raila’s connections with the United States become particularly evident in election seasons. In recent times, the leader of the opposition has visited the US, engaging with government representatives, speaking at policy institutes, and to the Kenyan expatriate community. He promotes his approach to strengthening the relationship between the two countries while also advancing his own candidacy.
In April of the previous year, he conducted a tour across the United States while running for the position of president. Just over ten years ago, during the initial presidential showdown between Raila and former President Uhuru Kenyatta, there was hardly any uncertainty that Raila was the favored candidate of the United States to succeed former President Mwai Kibaki.
Uhuru’s charges of crimes against humanity brought against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) did not lead to him gaining favor from the United States, which consistently denied endorsing either candidate.
“Choices have consequences,” Assistant Secretary of State Johnnie Carson said when asked about the prospect of having crime against humanity suspects (Uhuru and Ruto) leading Kenya.
In his book “For the Record,” Aden Duale, the Defence Cabinet Secretary, states that Ruto informed him that Raila was the favored candidate of Western countries, including the United States.
“When we sat with Ruto, he had international sources who had explained to him that the ICC was being pushed by foreign powers to get Raila to power,” Duale writes of the US, the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, among other nations.
“With knowledge about geopolitics, the president and his deputy had two aces up their sleeve. If the West was persecuting them, they could face the East… China was happy to stick it up to the West that had for years dominated the lending to Kenya,” Duale adds in his book.
ALSO READ: Ruto Responds to Raila on US Ambassador Remarks: Who Is Rogue Between The Two?
Certainly, the ex-president depicted Raila as a Western influence-driven figure until they reconciled in 2018. At a certain point, Uhuru even directed offensive language toward Raila due to his close ties with Western powers.
The ex-prime minister has consistently contacted the authorities whenever he believed that the government was suppressing the rights of Kenyan citizens, including instances when President Uhuru’s government would use force to handle protests from the opposition.
Raila Odinga’s “Azimio la Umoja” or “One Kenya” initiative has recently been urging for similar actions in response to instances of law enforcement using excessive force against demonstrators, which have resulted in the loss of several lives.
However, the backing appears to be moving towards Ruto’s side as the US pursues trade and investment alliances in Africa. Historian Macharia Munene suggested that Raila is uneasy about the emerging changes that could diminish his influence.
“Raila is in a corner and he is reacting in an angry way to the new support shown to Ruto. He is frustrated that by supporting Ruto, the Americans won’t question the excesses of his presidency,” said the university lecturer.
Kimani Ichung’wah, the Majority Leader of the National Assembly, supported Whitman’s comments in a tweet, implying that Raila should move past his defeat in the election.
“Now Raila Odinga relax. The US ambassador is simply stating the obvious that the elections of 2022 were transparent and fair. Stop threatening her, you can’t recall her from nowhere, Baba. Live with the truth of losing an election and focus on 2027 now,” said Ichung’wah.
ALSO READ: “She Stated Facts!”: Mutua Supports Ambassador Whitman, Shrugs Off Raila’s Warning
Prof Munene argued that Raila would not “accept that he lost” as doing so hurts his political relevance.
“As long as Raila makes a noise he will be relevant for 2027, and he will be a candidate them… There is nothing wrong with what the ambassador said because the US has been saying so,” Prof Munene stated, adding that US interference was “not a new thing”.
The United States has received praise for supporting democratic changes in Kenya and Africa, providing financial assistance for election procedures and organizations related to civil society.
Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang’ noted that he observed a change in stance among international diplomats.
“We think there is a dangerous trend that is coming up where our foreign partners are more concerned about supply-chain diversification and the continuity of business, rather than life in the jurisdictions they operate,” Kajwang’ said.
“We felt hurt when the US ambassador is dancing and praising democracy in Kenya when such rights (picketing) are being criminalized,” Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga said Thursday.
ALSO READ: Azimio criticizes US for meddling in Kenya’s political affairs
“Elections, taxes, and corruption and taxes are existential questions in Kenya today. It is only a visitor in Jerusalem who can discuss them in such a casual manner. The US government is not a visitor in Nairobi, and we can only hope that these unfortunate remarks were personal and were inspired by the envoy’s… corporate instincts of pleasing the buyer to close a deal,” said Kitui Senator Enock Wambua.
But Belgut MP Nelson Koech, who chairs the National Assembly Defence and Foreign Relations Committee, said: “Raila Odinga’s undiplomatic and unpalatable attacks on the US Ambassador for simply saying the truth about the state of the last election should tell the international community the kind of man we are dealing with.”
“Ambassador Whitman is simply reiterating what all the International Election Observer Missions reports said and what we have been saying all along the last election was the freest, fairest, and most transparent in the history of Kenya as a democracy.”
Raila’s Complex US Relationship Exposed