Why Raila's 'State project' title complicates exit plans

I heard it on the grapevine that former Prime Minister and former Opposition leader Raila Odinga aka Baba will be officially unveiled as a government project — because Prezzo Bill Ruto is so fond of launching projects —even those that had been previously launched by his predecessors.

Consequently, plaque makers have started designing boards to accommodate multiple launches and relaunches. In that case, the plaque memorialising Baba’s inauguration as a state “project” will have multiple datelines.

Baba as a State project was first launched by Prezzo Daniel Moi in 2000, under something called “cooperation and coalition” with independence party, Kanu. He was relaunched in 2008 by Prezzo Mwai Kibaki with a dose of nusu mkate; reloaded by Prezzo Uhuru Kenyatta with a handshake in 2018; reloaded by Prezzo Ruto with endorsement for African Union chairmanship in 2024.

Unlike other state projects, whose budgetary allocations require parliamentary approval and oversight, it is unclear how much has been assigned to promote his candidature at AU.

At the mature age of 79, Baba has had a long and productive working life, even discounting nearly one decade spent in the coolers for his involvement in the abortive 1982 military coup.

As a man of means, he could easily fund his AU campaign from his own pocket, much the same way he has funded his numerous quests for the presidency. This could be his way of giving back to his nation and continent.

But there are some grey areas about Baba’s candidature. Since he has not made any pronouncement about the electoral body that’s presiding over the process, it is unclear if there are avenues for redress in the event of a dispute.

More importantly, it is unclear where street demos could be staged should Baba decide to take his case to the “people’s court,” as he did in previous contests. First off, and by his own admission, Baba has gone “international” which means he will not actively participate in local politics.

It’s local politicians who mobilise protesters, so he would be handicapped on that front. In any case, previous electoral grouses were directed at governments of the day that Baba claimed had been installed through illegitimate means. That would be a sticking point as the AU post is a virtual job of sorts, overseeing affairs in 55 nations.

Moreover, since his Orange Democratic Movement is now part of the Kenya Kwanza administration, it would be foolhardy to protest in one’s own backyard.

The last element of Baba’s transition from local to continental politics is that he has been neutered by being declared a State project, and his enormous power to mobilise has been vanquished in a seemingly painless procedure.

Given all the unknowns, one hopes that Baba anticipated these hurdles and left at least an exit clause from this State project so that should he fail in his AU quest, he can still pull his men and one woman from government and return to the streets.

Well, he doesn’t have to return to the streets necessarily; boardrooms can also be turned into combat arenas as we witnessed recently, when Wiperman Kalonzo Musyoka was unable to deliver a speech at Orange House, only moments after Baba exited from meeting, as Wiperman rejected overtures to join government.

By swapping his solid political base for a virtual job in Addis Ababa, it appears another political milestone was made, as the youth of this country took the mantle to organise their own protests.

Hopefully, they will be sympathetic towards Baba’s cause should he need them to organise virtual protests on his behalf, should he flounder in his quest for virtual AU job.