Lessons Learnt about Raila Odinga

SUMMARY: NASA leader had planned to swear in Raila Odinga if Uhuru Kenyatta is sworn in as president
Raila Odinga has however rejected calls to swear him in

The constitution of Kenya expressly guides on assumption of Office for President & Deputy President; the swearing in of the President-elect shall be in public before the Chief Justice, or, in the absence of the Chief Justice, the Deputy Chief Justice.

The President-elect shall be sworn in on the first Tuesday following the fourteenth day after the date of the declaration of the result of the presidential election, if no petition has been filed under Article 140; or the seventh day following the date on which the court renders a decision declaring the election to be valid, if any petition has been filed under Article 140.

The President-elect assumes office by taking and subscribing the oath or affirmation of allegiance, and the oath or affirmation for the execution of the functions of office, as prescribed in the Third Schedule. This is found in Chapter 9 of the document- the executive. The public declaration by National Super Alliance (NASA) side that they will swear their leader Raila Amollo Odinga is not constitutional and is a recipe for chaos. Raila knows it too well and that's why he played it down. Here are five things we learn about the Opposition leader after he declined being sworn-in by NASA leaders.

1. Gentleman

They say that a gentleman is simply a patient wolf. In Raila’s scenario, methinks that Tuesday will be the end of all theatrics. Although he cited his global reputation, his swearing in plan diversion is a sign that he walks his talk. He's a strong believer of the constitution thus had to abide by it. A gentleman would be ashamed should his deeds not match his words.

2. Constitution's respect

In his longtime quest for power Raila has come out as a leader who treasures the constitutional order and acknowledges its supremacy. By being sworn in concurrently with President Kenyatta, Raila would come out as anti-constitution and above all as a chaos loving leader because such a move would cause confusion and political crisis which would/can tear the nation apart. He respects the Supreme law hence will employ constitutional avenues to advance his cause.

3. Peacemaker

By not getting involved and distancing himself from the unconstitutional event's discussion, Raila portrays himself as a peace loving leader. Whilst he suffers pressure from his inner circle, he had to 'disappoint' them and lead them towards a direction that will leave his name intact as far as breach of peace is concerned. Many a times in our history, leaders are misled by persons around them, mostly for those persons own gain.

4. Wise

It's an epitome of wisdom not to bow down to pressure from your allies. Any negative impact of his swearing in would have been attributed to him. This would negate all his contributions to the democratic nation that Kenya is today. It takes years to build reputation but it takes seconds to destroy it. Raila knows this pretty well and wouldn't fall for any move that would taint his image.

5. Coward

His supporters and haters will call his declination to be sworn in a cowardly move but as they say, "cowards live longer. After Tuesday 28th November 2017, Raila has an opportunity to be anything he wants including the president of this nation (2022) or even an international envoy.