Being a seasoned politician in Kenya has made Raila Odinga to know how and when to press his buttons right to get the results he desires. He may not win enough Votes when elections comes around to get him the presidency but you cant keep him off the National stage.
After garnering 48.8% of the Cast votes in the August 2022 Elections and heading to the Supreme Court to object Ruto’s Win, You could sense that this wouldn’t be the last of his options to fight for what he always believed to be his time to lead.
As we head to the first 100 days in office for UDA Government, Raila has cast his dice again aiming for a position in the government as usual. Knowing president Ruto’s Stand against a second “Handshake” Raila seems to be applying Pressure to get a Legal Official Office of The Opposition Leader assigned a national Budget.
The Azimio leader launched resistance against President William Ruto’s administration that is expected to run for 30 days which started with a meeting at Kamukunji Grounds in Nairobi. in attedance were fellow Azimio leaders including Martha Karua, Kalonzo Musyoka, Wycliffe Oparanya, Eugene Wamalwa and Edwin Sifuna.
The leaders resolved that the Ruto-led administration should be pressured to put in place measures to reduce the cost of basic commodities, particularly by restoring subsidies of maize flour, fuel, school fees and electricity beginning January 2023, “failure to which Kenyans will be free to take such steps as they may deem fit to ease the burden of the yoke upon their shoulders”.
This seems to be working as President Ruto appeared to extend an olive branch to the opposition by committing to implement the two-third gender rule in Parliament and the establishment of the Leader of Opposition office(Which in my view is Raila’s Target all along).
“I believe that the idea of Official Opposition, above and beyond mere minority parliamentary leadership, makes tremendous sense in terms of institutionalising governance, strengthening oversight, and deepening democracy,” The president Said.
In a nine-page memo to National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula and Senate’s Amason Kingi, President Ruto addressed four issues – the gender rule, the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NGCDF), the position of the Leader of Official Opposition and parliamentary oversight of the Executive.
in the memo, The President promises goodies to several actors, including MPs through entrenching the repealed NGCDF in the Constitution; the creation of the Senate Oversight Fund and having a Women’s Inclusion and Political Participation Fund. By proposing the implementation of the elusive gender rule through top-up of 40 more women in the National Assembly and the Senate it may be more Painful for the Taxpayers as they will fork more to cater for this Salaries.
