AKINYI: Thankless Brat, Raila Made Ababu from Nothing to Something

Ababu and Raila sharing a light moment during an ODM function

By Bel Akinyi

The hypocrisy in the political corridors today in Kenya has gutted me. Someone once said, man made money and money made man mad, and this is absolute genius. Political lightweights are flying all over the ring throwing empty punches into the air, making the utmost yet vain roars.

Jubilee has made it clear that 2017 is going to be about money, they’ve set aside billions, possibly stolen from the public kitty and about or already making it rain. Malnourished politicians are streaming in for brown envelopes. Recently, New Ford Kenya dissolved their party to join Jubilee, an openly money motivated move.

To the point at hand, it’s laughable and embarrassing, insulting to natural intelligence when a once thought to be brilliant politician turned bluff of century Ababu Namwamba, deprecates and rubbish off Raila political prowess.

First, Ababu’s approach is cliché, and he’s using a script that has been used by many; get in Raila circle, stick around like a leech, gain political mileage, start rebelling, cook an excuse to bolt out, call Raila names. I mean you couldn’t shock us with anything distinctive?

Ababu has been running up and down calling Raila names, saying how undemocratic and undermining he’s been to him. Now Ababu sit down your four eyes and let me school you and jog your memory. Ababu is who he is in political scale because of Raila, and he can deny it as much as a grown person refusing ever suckling his mother’s breast.

Ababu in Statehouse when he led a group of MPs from Western to hold talks with President Uhuru and DP Ruto

We all remember the controversial swearing in where defiant Ababu declined to pay allegiance to Kibaki instead he did on Raila, and that’s when he caught the nation’s attention and when his political star in the national sky went on.

In the coalition government, Raila awarded Ababu with a ministerial post, but the man with the mouthful of Ingokho now will deny that. Ababu was awarded a lucrative committee in Parliament PAC, courtesy of Raila and he was swimming in oil, he’s said to have been paid off in millions to throw under the bus, PAC report on Ruto’s hustler’s jet that cost taxpayers millions. Ababu has enjoyed political privileges courtesy of Raila he can’t deny that.

Despite revolt from insiders and many party supporters, Raila gave Ababu a chance and was delivered ODM’s top most authoritative position and was named the Secretary General. And yet this man still grieves of having been played in ODM. I asked this before, and I’ll ask again, did Ababu want Raila to give him his lungs to feel content.

On a fair note, it’s okay if a young man as Ababu has bigger political ambitions. However, it’s more significant to play smart as in politics isn’t any standard game. Respect the rules of power, don’t punch a wall and expect the wall to get hurt.

Raila leads Ababu in the good old days

Pursue your ambitions Ababu, but don’t insult people who nurtured you, respect is paramount, in Africa, and the young are bound to respect the elders. It wouldn’t hurt or make you less of a man if you only said “Mr Odinga, I’m thankful for the time I’ve been with you, I’ve learnt a lot, and I think we no longer share identical political agendas, and it’s time for me to move on to the next phase of my political career.” It wouldn’t harm you Ababu.

By Bel Akinyi is a Political Science student at Melbourne University, Australia.
Twitter: @BelAkinyii

This article expresses the author’s opinion only. The views and opinions expressed here do not necessarily represent those of Kenya Insights or its Editors. We welcome opinion and views on topical issues. Email:[email protected]