You could see it everywhere; the look of dejection and depression among Raila and Cord supporters right from the very moment their eyes were glancing at projections on televisions that unbelievably showed Uhuru was beating Raila by a margin that never deviated no matter how many different areas were reporting—an anomaly by any measure only IEBC had the ability to produce.
On the other hand, Uhuruto and Jubilee supporters could not contain themselves in their glee in what they were seeing, but some to their credit did try.
The dejection and depression was muted if somewhat with the filing of Raila and AfriCog’s petitions challenging the declared results that Uhuru had won.
Hope they did, meaning Raila and Cord supporters that the Supreme Court would do the right thing and at least order a re-run, if not a run off but those hopes were mercilessly crushed with the Supreme Court dismissing without likely not even bothering to read the petitions.
It was deja vu for we had been on this road before except the last time there was death, bloodshed and great destruction of property and lives the country has yet to heal from justice having not been served in the view of PEV victims and their families and friends as well as those who value justice for all.
The rest are practically indifferent or simply don’t care as is now proven, given they came out in large numbers to vote for two individuals charged at The Hague for commission of these very crimes.
To lose an election due to rigging is one thing but to lose an election to individuals charged with these serious crimes is altogether a totally different matter.
It takes a special individual to walk with his head up and even manage an affable smile after being rigged out of the presidency not once but twice—in a row, to boot, leave alone the circumstances related to post-election violence and ICC.
What is more agonising and painful than that, other than the death of a loved?
Going through hard time for a crime one never committed comes to mind or being held in custody and tortured for nearly a decade for standing up for the rights of others as Raila was and overcame only to emerge as an even more powerful and loved politician in the country.
Those who talked to Raila in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s intellectually shallow and embarrassing decision were surprised to find the man in great spirits, even cracking jokes!
Many a man would have been wallowing in rage for days and wanting to do something—whatever to right the wrong but not Raila.
The seasoned politician he is, Raila is no doubt regrouping and as the proverbial cat with nine lives, he might as well now be known as the big cat of them all for he’s clearly on to his fourth or fifth life by now.
No one engenders much in both love and hatred than Raila.
The very idea of Raila reinventing himself and going for it again surely must turn the stomachs of his haters while sending the rest of them screaming and breaking things but why?
Why would Raila generate this much dislike among people he has never met, let alone done anything to them to deserve this hate.
He’s not alone on this count as his cousin in the United States, one Barack Hussein Obama, is loved and hated there in almost equal measure.
The use of 'almost equal measure' here is deliberate because Raila holds that position alone and no one comes even close to being loved and at the same time hated almost equally.
A majority of the nearly half of those who went to the polls on March 4, 2013 and voted for now President Uhuru Kenyatta did so not because they love Uhuru but simply because they hate Raila.
They just couldn’t stand the thought of having Raila in office as president they were perfectly okay and quite happy voting for someone who remains charged with serious crimes against humanity at The Hague.
Can Raila turn-around some of these voters as he contemplates reinventing himself and going for it again? Even more broadly, does the man have the energy, goodwill and stamina left in him to hit the campaign trail again one more time and cross his fingers that he won’t win for the third time and still be rigged out?
There are several reasons, some historical, that point to the answer in the affirmative on both questions.
First, Raila is now at 68, which is the new 48 for those with good, healthy eating habits and exercise regularly as Raila does. He will be 72 when sworn in as our next president, if he wins again as he and many believe he can.
This is two years younger in real time than Mandela was when sworn in as South Africa’s president and more than 22 years younger going by the indisputable formula above about changing demographics and life expectancy.
Second, love him or hate him, Raila still remains the most popular politician in the country and no presidential candidate has a shot against the Jubilee machinery than he alone.
Third, those who keep railing and are now plotting to punish or somehow “tame” Raila if he doesn’t retire do so strictly for narrow, partisan and even personal reasons that have no bearing on the man’s ability to lead.
No one but Uhuru should welcome Raila’s continued participation in politics for much as many believe he’s an illegitimate president, he should welcome Raila to the ring and if he gives him a KO or merely wins by rounds in an open, fair and transparent elections, he would go far in establishing legitimacy as our president and shall go on to rule a second time as if it were his first.
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