Talk:Raila Odinga

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[edit] Biography assessment rating comment

The article may be improved by following the WikiProject Biography 11 easy steps to producing at least a B article. -- -- Thesocialistesq/M.lesocialiste 01:15, 5 July 2007 (UTC)


If there is anyone in the politics of Kenya who should be given the leadership of the nation is Hon.Raila Odinga.Kenyans should mature above tribal politics and embrace God's love and the love of the nation.Raila has tried to bring democracy in this country through many ways.The bible says that God rewards those who do good.I therefore believe with all of my heart that the time has come that he will be rewarded by God the price he has paid to bring democratic space to everyone.The fact that Raila is a kingmaker,also proves that he can be the King hence we should give him a chance.Its very important for the Kenyans to know that God's favour is with ODM-K and whoever does not see this will be sidelined and shocked on the results of the elections this year.Its God who raise people to leadership and he is the same one who removes them when he sees that their hearts are turned away from God.God is not happy with this government because she did not keep the vows she made to the people of Kenya and also to one another.The bible says that its better you dont make a vow than making one and breakingJust as the spirit of God left Soul the king of Israel and went to David so has the spirit of God left this government and is now with the ODM-K.Its my prayer that Kenyans will not see leaders with the eyes of their tribe they come from but the eyes of God's will in the person's life,the qualities of leadership and the ability he has.We all elected Kibaki without his tribe being questions after Raila had said Kibali toshaWhy then should this come when the same Raila wants us to vote for him.The bible says thatdo to others,what you would want them to do to youAs we surpported A kikuyu man for he fitted the seat,let us also join hands as a nation to surpport this luo man Raila Odinga for he qualifies and no one can deny this.God bless you.Julius(I am currently The Netherlands resident) 4th Feb 07,14:18

The liberal democratic party under the chairmanship of the Kenyan Deputy speaker of the 9th parliament David musila existed long before the Rainbow movement was formed.Its therefore not accurate to say the party was formed by the members of the Rainbow Movement, they just joined it...Eunice-Mombasa

who cares

  • though I am not a supporter of Raila Odinga its a real disgrace to see the way people edit articles and put falsehoods on sites, including this one, Kenyattas and Kibakis. Can we all be civil and just post factual statements to the best of our knowledge? Too much tribalism!--Misterk 20:27, 11 July 2006 (UTC)
  • It is easy to slap a no-edit on the page, but this is counterproductive as someone out there must be having more information on Raila, which can add to the article's depth. We will keep checking back and any spurious changes will be reversed. Further, I might request IP address blocking for repeat defacers.

Wanyonyi 12:53, 29 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] The next president of Kenya

Raila has shown more than one time that he is the man to beat in Kenyan politics. He operates in a manner which leaves his opponents bewildered. In the goverment or outside of it, he still controlls Kenyan politics like a chess board. Ladies and gentlemen we are most likely talking of the next president of Kenya.


Njoroge Kamau Mwati

I don't know. Everytime ODM-K has a rally somewhere the only thing I see is chaos and violence. The same applied for the by-elections, LDP-Elections and most of the Referendum-Rallys. I don't want to be governed by a regime of the streets. Nobody in that ODM-Group is worth to be think of as the next president of Kenya. Maybe Uhuru is the man for 2012 but I better go with Kibaki, because all this ODM VIPs who call this government corrupt were Ministers in the most corrupt government in the history of Kenya and when you compare Mois KANU with NARC than we can be happy with the changes so far...


  • Wikipedia is not really the place for Kenyan political debates. Try other fora - restrict talk on this page to the quality and validity of the information on the Raila Odinga page, rather than speculation on who will be President of Kenya.
Wanyonyi 15:08, 17 November 2006 (UTC)
  • I agree with you Wanyonyi: People should not use Wikipedia for personal attacks against others or a chat forum for Kenyan politics. We need to have factual information that is verifiable, but not personal opinions of individuals.
Mosoti

[edit] ======= Misconceptions

I was thoroughly surprised to read this very biased or perhaps rather lacking, research into the life of Raila Odinga. The references are mainly from pro-Odinga propaganda like his biographies as if I was reading what Odinga was saying about himself. The discriptions of the anti-constitutional Orange Movement and later formed party exemplify this in detail. It is very clear that the researcher creating this entry really does not have a true grasp of Kenyan government nor Kenyan Politics and does not even pretend to try to deny support of him. I would hope that wikipedia shows the entire Katiba Mpya(failed new constituion draft to see what exactly Honorable Odinga and the Orange Democratic Movement were trying to prevent. If one reads this draft it will show the true colors of Odinga to anyone curious enough to educate themselves on this man. It is sad that what is supposed to be an educational tool is prepared in such an uninformed and quite dangerous way. Eric Kunyota..

  • If you have information to add to the article, go ahead and do so. Making vague, unfounded accusations does not add to the substance of the article and detracts from the whole point of an encyclopaedia - which is to act as a reference source.
Wanyonyi 15:05, 17 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] failures

The main word, enigma means, that which can not be explained. I say a confusion. It also means a difficulty problem, and that does sound more like Raila. He really is international for a Nigerian scholar to write his biography. I mean even his best gospel is spread, by the man himself, outside Kenya. But if I was to write his biography, I would give it a probably catchier title. How about Raila the low flying vulture in Kenyan politics! Well it couldn’t be easy for his fanatical fans to tell the likeness but really that’s all he is. Raila, who claims to be the creator of Kibaki’s presidency by his two words; Kibaki tosha! is not known to work much, but he does talk a lot. His says it’s called politics, talking, talking, talking. He is the most popular Kenyan politician, he says. By which I think he means most known and surely you pull off having your name in the papers everyday and you will, be known. It wouldn’t matter much what you do or says. He always has something for the media and when he runs out of dossiers, he pulls out his favourite card. My life is in danger! Being in the media this much then why would anyone need to read his biography. Hiyo tosha!

While he considers himself the most suitable to be Mr President after Kibaki’s term (since he didn’t get to be the executive prime minister he hoped to be), I would disqualify him from Kenya’s political scene. And that without questioning every thing he does or says which as we know is a lot, I would take just three of them, excluding coup attempts and destabilizing a government elect.(1) One, he denied Kenyans their democratic right when he led his gang of power hungries in stating that Kenyans should not read a drafted constitution, but must reject it. Without reading it. By doing so, conscious of how popular and influential he is; thus easily manipulating and misleading thousands of Kenyans to base their vote on him and his bunch, he stole one of Kenya’s most historical moments. The creation of a wholly Kenyan constitution.

This I say coz it’s my strongest believe that people should have decided without the intervention of his kind of politics, if not non for that matter. The government had done a remarkable job, which deserved recognition, to not only print the constitution but also to make it within reach of Kenyans everywhere. A lot was spent on this mentally, physically and financially. The least anyone could have down is to let all Kenyans who can read do so and make their own decision. But to incite people to burn copies of such an important document just because of a political oblivion phobia is selfish and unworthy to lead any nation! (2)Then to run off or fly off to distant lands (read west) and wash ones dirty linen in those publics, talking ill and spreading lies about ones government is low, way too low. Raila could not himself last a day politically in those countries where he goes to sell Kenya. He is lucky that Kenyans like political jokers of his kind unquestioningly.

He should by now understand that his western masters would only support or work with him for their own benefit. That’s the deal. He has convinced his followers and even himself that he is mightier than thou, the one, the only Kenya’s saviour. How about some dignity? But times are changing, a natural mystic is blowing. Slowly, maybe, but surely Kenyans even his own devoted are starting to see him for what he is. A vulture because he is (3) only after what President Kibaki is building. I prefer to listen to that who says, my aim is to make Kenya a working nation with a government of national unity. Simple. And someone has already said that and is doing it too. Raila had the opportunity to show us all how hard working he is. He, like a number of others was given a ministerial responsibility in the government (not his first). But he spent his energies in backstabbing that same government. He wasted a lot of energy in trying to bring down the same person whom he had pronounced best for the job. He probably made his worst personal mistake when he shouted Kibaki tosha! But that is probably the best thing that he has ever done for our nation. Thanks!

While he is preoccupied with the thought that he is the best Kenya will ever have, he misses the most significant signs of all his time. The fact that no Kenyan leader in his circle of ´´illuminatas“ or outside it has ever, will ever bow to, or, for him. They all know that it would be a dangerous mistake. And Kenyans have neither time nor the luxury of such a mistake. His biography?

Am yet to hear his fellow ODM princes declare him as tosha. If he is as good as he thinks he is, then how come he is not an obvious choice? The ODM leadership seem to be playing a game of waiting to see who breaks first, Russian roulette. Then things will fall apart! If am asked, the man from the lakeside should tone down and try to read the times lest he be left nothing but the noise maker he is, without an audience. Borrow a line from Saitoti ´´read my lips“ and do something honourable to attach to his résumé. Our glorious country is rising again to take its place among the stars; we can not afford a misstep, a backward move, Moi tosha! ed. We have had enough, and like the professor said ´´ there comes a time when the interest of the nation is of more importance than personal interest“. It is our patriotic duty to ensure that the leadership of our nation does not fall into the wrong hands —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.137.231.14 (talk)

[edit] Education

How could he have gone to the Otto von Guericke University of Magdeburg in 1965 when according to that article it didn't open until 1993? Timrollpickering (talk) 15:10, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

  • I don't know, but number of biographies, including his personal website and websites of the most reliable kenyan newspapers state that he went to that university [1], [2], [3]. Personally I don't understand German, but de:Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg history section mentions something about 50's and onwards. Julius Sahara (talk) 16:39, 27 December 2007 (UTC)
Judging by the Babelfish translation it seems the university is the end product of several mergers and Odinga went to the Technical University, Magdeburg. I'll modify the text to clarify this. Timrollpickering (talk) 17:15, 27 December 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Controversy

The controversy of Odinga signing a secret MoU with NAMLEF was big news in Kenya and relevant to current events. This article has been repeatedly deleted as POV, but it is NOT. Bear in mind that POV is inherent in any controversy. The article is objective, and the reader must decide the POV. The sources sited are legitimate. One is a local Kenyan news agency, and the other is an association of Christian Churches whose link is purely used as reference for the reader to view the alleged MoU. Sanctu7 (talk) 16:52, 10 February 2008 (UTC)

It's not a secret that Raila signed a MOU with a certain muslim group. But the one posted on EAK website is not only a fake, but also a hate leaflet. Therefore posting it here cannot be considered being neutral point of view. Secondly, Evangelical Alliance of Kenya is a deeply religious organisation and not a credible source on this issue anyway. Julius Sahara (talk) 19:14, 10 February 2008 (UTC)
I respectfully disagree. One of the fundamental reasons for the controversy was that the alleged original MoU was not revealed to the public therefore by definition making it "secret". Notice I said alleged, and notice I said contorversy. It's no lie that this was a contorversy and that it was a noteworthy item that bears relevance to Odinga's bio. Nobody at this time truly knows what happened because there's no irrifutable proof on either side. I draw no inferences on whether the document is a hate leaflet or not. It's just news. Are we then to merely throw away any news that's considered possibly offensive? Only censors do that. Moreover, since when does a religious organization like the EAK not have the right to have an opinion? This notion seems ludicrous, especially since this was at least partly an issue of religion. I invite you to craft an article on the subsequent MoU, if not done so already. Perhaps we can work together on it.Sanctu7 (talk) 03:30, 13 February 2008 (UTC)
I already added a section Raila_Odinga#Signed_deal_with_Muslims a few days ago. Does that cover it sufficiently ? Wizzy…☎ 06:22, 13 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] obama odinga

http://eakenya.org/newsevents/article.htm?id=8

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7176683.stm

http://www.thestar.com/News/World/article/290390

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=57363

some of these links suggests that obama help fund odinga. is it true and should it be in the article. i just am surprised that this would not be considered a conflict of interest to USA, shouldn't this be all over the news ? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.80.96.75 (talk) 07:45, 19 March 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Elected or Appointment Prime Minister?

In the article, in the first line of the first paragraph, it says about Mr. Odinga "... he has been elected Prime Minister in Kenya on 14 April 2008 ..."

I think this should be amended to reflect the fact that he was appointed, as well as improve on the gramatical structure of the sentence. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Silverandcoffee (talk • contribs) 00:02, 17 April 2008 (UTC)