Raila Junior’s entry into the Kibra parliamentary race has unsettled some aspirants.
Raila Junior’s entry into the Kibra parliamentary race has unsettled some aspirants in ODM, as the youthful son of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga prepares to venture into elective politics in 2027.
Kibra has for decades been under the political grip of the Odinga family, with the late Mr Odinga representing the constituency from 1992 to 2013, when it was part of the larger Lang’ata constituency.
Whenever the country faced critical moments in national politics, Mr Odinga would make his way to Kibra and offer political direction that would subsequently be embraced by other parts of the country.
On November 30, 2009, at the height of the controversy over the eviction of people from the Mau Forest, Mr Odinga publicly declared that he was ready to return to Kibera and make mandazi if the issue cost him politically.
Raila Junior’s entry into the race has already triggered a political showdown between him, Kibra MP Peter Orero and former MP Imran Okoth.
Junior has begun taking part in community projects and meeting various groups as he lays the groundwork for the 2027 election.
“Kibra was my father’s political stronghold, and as a family, we have had a long journey with the people of this constituency. If elected, I intend to focus heavily on education by ensuring that bursaries are available so that no child misses out on education,” Raila Junior told *Nation *in an interview.
“I know some sectors, such as health and water, have been devolved, but I will do my best to ensure these services are functioning properly and to support the people of Kibra. We will focus heavily on improving the lives of residents of this constituency in every way possible,” he added.
Junior also revealed that he had served as one of his father’s strategists in Kibra for many years.
This week, his mother Ida Odinga, while celebrating her birthday, announced that she had given Raila Junior her blessing to pursue his political ambitions, including his bid for the Kibra parliamentary seat.
“You as Kibra people have decided and I have no other choice. I’m releasing my son into your hands. The leaders who are here, take care of him, teach him, and guide him. Many of you started politics with Baba. Show him the way,” Mama Ida said.
She reiterated that Junior’s politics should be clean and free from abuse and chaos, noting that Kibra, popularly known as Baba’s bedroom, was the foundation of the Odinga family’s political career.
“Convince people with your words. Convince them with what you can do for them,” she said.
Mr Orero, however, claims Junior is being pushed by some ward representatives who have little political influence in Kibra. He insisted that he was ready to face him at the ballot.
“Some of the ward representatives pushing him have lost elections four times and are simply hanging on to him for their own personal interests. However, my work for the people of Kibra is there for everyone to see, and at the moment I have no competitor. Let him come and we will compete, and I will defeat him,” Mr Orero said.
The MP questioned why Raila Junior had entered the race when his sister, Winnie Odinga, had previously expressed interest in the seat before withdrawing to pursue the Nairobi senatorial position.
“Winnie came to me herself and told me that she wanted to run for Nairobi senator and was no longer interested in Kibra. Now Raila Junior is being pushed, but I am ready. I respect the Odinga family and I am confident that I will win the ODM nomination,” he added.
He revealed despite being close to Odinga's family's he hasn't spoken to Mama Ida about Jnr's candidature.
"What is there to speak about? Jnr has his democratic right and I would want to disrespect or be seen to at war with them. Let the people decide," he said
Mr Orero said that during his tenure, he had boosted education and sports and improved many roads in Kibra.
“What I have done surpasses the work of my predecessors since 2013. I have distributed more than Sh65 million in bursaries and, apart from CDF, there are many projects we have completed with the World Bank. I am a hardworking MP, so how can he defeat me?” he asked.
Mr Orero also disclosed that he had worked for the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga during the transition to multiparty politics and had worked with Raila for more than 30 years, giving him a deep understanding of the difficult journey involved in seeking political leadership.
“The party leader (Dr Oburu Oginga) has said there will be a free and fair nomination and I believe that. Let Junior come and compete, but as things stand, the work I have done will make things difficult for those pushing him. He can't defeat me since my CV is loaded,” he added.
Mr Imran on the other hand has threatened to leave ODM and go all the way to the ballot if the party does not conduct a free and fair nomination to determine who will carry its ticket.
“There was no free and fair nomination in 2022 and I cannot tolerate that again. This time, people deserve the opportunity to choose the leader they want instead of having someone imposed on them. I have been campaigning and I feel that I am the right person to be the MP,” Mr Imran said.
Mr Imran took over the seat from his late brother, Ken Okoth, and says his two years in office left a visible record of achievement.
“The current MP has done nothing, and Kibra is gradually returning to where it was before. I want to come back and continue the work I started.
“Junior is free to come and contest, but he should also know that we are members of the party and we insist there should be no favouritism whatsoever. Let Orero, Junior and I compete fairly, and whoever emerges victorious should be handed the ODM ticket,” he added.
Kibra's was Raila's base where he retreated to offer political direction in his career and sometimes his political opponents would use the issue of slums in the constituency to chide him.
It was in Kibra that Raila launched campaigns against the proposed 2005 Constitution and later rallied support for the 2010 Constitution.
He also consulted residents of the area in 1995 before resigning from Ford Kenya, forming the National Development Party (NDP) and subsequently seeking re-election which he eventually won despite heavy campaign machinery from Kanu.
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