The latest political news from ODM includes Raila Junior eyeing Embakasi South. Junior wants to become the next Member of Parliament (MP) for Embakasi South. Essentially, he wants to unseat Wiper Party’s Julius Mawathe in the next General Election.
Raila Junior’s Political Background
Raila Junior is the son of the late Opposition Leader, Raila Odinga, and the grandson of the late Oginga Odinga. Incidentally, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga was the pioneer of opposition politics in Kenya. He also served as Kenya’s first Vice-President.
President Jomo Kenyatta, Kenya’s first President, appointed Oginga Vice-President in 1964, when Kenya became independent. Although Jaramogi resigned in 1966 following ideological disagreements with Kenyatta, both families remained central in Kenyan politics.
Nevertheless, for a good part of his life, Raila Junior has not shown interest in politics. Like his mother, Ida Odinga, he would appear in his father’s meetings, show moral support, and then leave. Hence at the time, he did not appear actively engaged in politics.
However, that has changed since his father’s death last year. His father’s political party, ODM, began to encounter internal wrangles and appointed his uncle, Oburu Odinga, to lead it. Then his younger sister, Winnie Odinga, who had showed a knack for politics when his father was alive, became vocal.
Probably the developments in ODM and the urge to safeguard his father’s legacy have motivated Junior into joining politics.
Raila Junior Eyeing Embakasi is a Good Start
Like his siblings, Rosemary, Winnie, and the late Fidel, Raila Junior is well educated. He earned his first degree from the University of Wales, and that is in accounting and finance.
He then earned a Masters from the University of Leeds. The second degree is along the same line: Finance. After his studies in the UK, Junior returned to Kenya and worked for a while as an accountant.
Subsequently, he began to participate in the running of the family business, and later began his own business. Apparently, he owns and runs an advertising firm called Creative Hub. He also participates in running the elder Raila family business.
If Raila Junior succeeds in becoming the MP for Embakasi South in 2027, the position could serve him well politically. For starters, he is likely to attract the attention of veteran politicians because of his heritage. Then in due course, he could end up in the center of Kenya’s national politics.