26/02/2025
By 1990 , Jaramogi Oginga Odinga had already decided to chat his own political path. But as the removal of Moi became urgent, Paul Muite invited Matiba and Rubia to his house, where they discussed the need to partner with Jaramogi Oginga Odinga to build a formidable alliance to face Moi.
According to Muite, they later invited Bishop Okullu and Joab Omino to inform them about the idea. Eventually, a final decision was reached that Jaramogi should be brought in and, if possible, be made the joint presidential candidate after the constitutional reforms. These discussions were taking place without Jaramogi's knowledge.
With everyone now in agreement about Jaramogi, the group decided to approach him and present to him the idea of a future political alliance with him as the presidential candidate. In this regard, Rubia and Matiba met Jaramogi at his private office at Agip House and his company office at Spectra International in Industrial area.
At first, Odinga was sceptical about their genuineness. According to Muite, Jaramogi, after listening to them, asked in a shrill voice, "I am not opposed to a partnership. But do you remember how our first marriage ended?"
This was in reference to the colonial and post-independence Kikuyu-Luo political partnership that ended in betrayal. "Now here again you are suggesting we become one team, what am I going to tell my people?"
Rubia and Matiba, however, assured Jaramogi that they had genuinely decided to support him to remove animosity and as a way of apologising for the bad treatment he had received after independence. Jaramogi fell for it, and an agreement was sealed.
Rubia and Matiba were arrested during the year but released after a year. However, Matiba needed further treatment abroad. As he recuperated in London, a clique of Mt Kenyan politicians visited him and misled him that instead of supporting Jaramogi, he could go it alone and defeat Moi since he was very popular.
Immediately after the amendments to usher in multipartism, the tune suddenly changed as those who had been proposing Jaramogi's candidature discarded the agreement. Muite who was still rooting for Jaramogi's candidature recalled Rubia telling him that political pacts were not laws to be obeyed while Matiba told him "Don't you know, Paul, even those Luos, they will all vote for Ken Matiba, not Jaramogi?"
Nevertheless, betrayal was nothing new to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. He took it in his own strides and launched his own presidential bid.. Some mount Kenya politicians such as Muite and Gitobu Imanyara decided to stick with him.
In the event they were all defeated as the divided opposition gave Moi a new presidential term on a silver platter. Jaramogi died the following year.
History always repeats itself, and Raila should be very careful with Gachagua's offer of supporting him. Ataoshwa hata kuliko baba yake.
It is not even that Gachagua likes him. He just wants to use him to serve sweet revenge after which he will go back to being the same Gachagua of "bora usiguze morima." Even if Gachagua succeeds in making him president, it will be a government of chaos, worse than the chaos we witnessed in UDA. First of all, Raila likes spreading positions all over the country, while Gachagua believes that communities that vote in a government should milk the cow first by sharing positions 50/50. That's how the UDA used to share positions before the fallout.
