“If Sonko is the governor and I am elected as the president, I will resign on the very day,” these are the words of Raila Odinga in July 2017, just days to the general elections.
Of course, we all know what happened in the elections as Raila lost the Presidency and Sonko was elected Nairobi governor. Now we know how desperately Raila has wanted the presidency. Saying such words against Sonko, just shows how he deeply hated the former Senator.
The political landscape has changed since 2017, Raila and Sonko have since met in the spirit of the handshake. The two leaders met in Raila’s office in April 2018.
Great hosting Rt. Hon. @RailaOdinga and Senior Counsel @orengo_james for lunch and interacting with wananchi at Burma Market earlier today. #handshake pic.twitter.com/4W1AQAWobD
— Sakaja Johnson (@SakajaJohnson) May 27, 2019
But has Raila’s perception on Sonko changed? It is hard to forgive a man who once declared himself as acting President in 2016. Sonko, while attending the funeral of Wavinya Ndeti’s husband said he was number three politically in the country. He forced Raila to walk out of the burial after a barrage of insults punctuated with Taka Taka! Ghasia.
We later condoled with the family of the late Hon. Oduya Oprong following his demise. Hon. Oprong was one of the few remaining members of the 1st Parliament of Kenya and served for years with principle and distinction. May God comfort his family and give them strength. #RIP pic.twitter.com/n0CBpfLH52
— Sakaja Johnson (@SakajaJohnson) May 27, 2019
Former US President John F Kennedy is remembered for his quote about forgiving your enemies but never forget the things they did to you. Raila is one of the wisest politicians in the world, and he sure can never forget what Sonko did to him in that funeral.
So could the former Politician be plotting to send Sonko home in 2022? Former Nairobi governor Evans Kidero has been battered by a series of corruption scandals making it hard for him to make a political comeback. He might even be in prison by the time the next elections are held.
Dropped by Burma Market to say hello to the people. pic.twitter.com/u9vBWNZvmd
— Raila Odinga (@RailaOdinga) May 27, 2019
In the absence of Kidero, who can stand up against Sonko? Raila knows there is no one in ODM. Could this be the reason why he has chosen to back Senator Johnson Sakaja?
All Senators want to be governors at one time. In fact, Sakaja had wanted the lucrative position in 2017 before he opted to vie for Senator.
On Monday, Sakaja joined Raila and Siaya Senator James Orengo, during a visit to the iconic Burma Market. The three leaders also enjoyed Ugali Nyama. And Sakaja, though a Jubilee politician, had no problem sharing the pictures on social media.
And it didn’t just end there, Sakaja also accompanied Raila to visit the family of the late veteran politician Oduya Oprong, who passed away on Saturday.
I am looking at issues objectively which is different from what you (Sonko) used to do when you were senator… I was given the mandate by 847,000 Nairobians and I will continue to exercise my mandate.
But the latest move to warm towards Baba might be the game changer.
Raila still enjoys massive support in Nairobi and if he decides to endorse Sakaja, then Sonko must go back to the drawing board. The governor has made so many enemies since 2017, and he will not want Raila to be in that list.