After AU, Raila in Now Free to Lead Mass Action
Soon after the famous 2017 handshake that brought together Raila and Uhuru Kenyatta, Raila was appointed the AU’s High representative on infrastructure. He has served in this position for the last five years. We have seen him travel and attend international meetings where he has articulated Africa’s need for infrastructural development as a key to unlock its potential and competitiveness in the face of fast growing economies of the world.
In his response to the relief from AU duties, Raila said that he is now free to attend urgent and pressing issues. What are these issues? In that letter Raila indicates that it was a mutual agreement between him and the AU leadership and that the decision was arrived at upon his request.
During Azimio’s Jevanjee prayers in Nairobi on Wednesday Raila gave the Kenya Kwanza government an ultimatum of two weeks to lower the cost of living failure to which he will lead countrywide mass action.
Therefore, this termination of contract comes at a critical time when Raila has called for mass action and he is actively involved in a revolution against what he calls an illegitimate regime. Someone will therefore, ask why now?
While this is happening, seasoned political analyst Herman Manyora is cautioning Kenya Kwanza supporters to hold their mouths before they celebrate at the top of their lungs what they think are Raila’s woes.
Manyora says that this AU position was limiting Raila from fully engaging in all manner of drama that comes with politics.’’Raila is now free, you will soon see him on the streets and the scene is going to be ugly’’ says Manyora. ‘’How could AU high Representative lead people on streets and still go to lobby for Africa’s infrastructural development?’’ Manyora pauses.
Now that politics is listening to what is not being said, we are compelled to read much into this news considering its timing, and the political situation in Kenya. We cannot close our eyes or cover our noses from any political smell.
However, some political analysts are also seeing Ruto’s hand in this, considering that it comes barely a week after his meeting with other heads of state in Ethiopia during the 36th summit of the African Union.Those privy to this trip allude that the head of state must have engineered the removal of Raila since the president felt Raila was using this position to lobby International community against his administration.
