We wish Raila Odinga, famously known as Baba wa Taifa (or is it Baba wa Afrika now?), all the best.
He deserves that African Union Commission chairmanship.
He has walked the long journey of pan-Africanism, democracy and continental diplomacy. His credentials?
Impeccable. His experience?
Unmatched. His charm? Well, ask his loyal base who chant his name with the fervour of a religious hymn.
But here’s the real question: is Baba’s AU bid more important than the healthcare and education system crumbling in Kenya?
Because, from the look of things, President William Ruto, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and at least 100 MPs and top government officials seem to think so.
They are all set to take flight to Addis Ababa in a show of solidarity, leaving behind a country drowning in problems they were elected to solve.
Kenyan doctors are still threatening strikes over poor working conditions.
Hospitals continue to suffer from drug shortages. Public schools remain underfunded, and the competency-based curriculum is still a puzzle to both parents and teachers.
But hey, let’s all break into a standing ovation and chant “Baba the diplomat” as the entire government jets off to Ethiopia.
Clearly, ensuring Raila gets his AUC seat is a higher calling than investigating how ‘unknown’ people keep abducting and arresting youth while the police, DCI and NIS act clueless.
Or maybe, just maybe, it’s more pressing than ensuring cancer patients at the Kenyatta National Hospital receive treatment without selling their entire life’s savings. The AUC chairmanship election is happening on February 15 and 16.
A tight race.
A historic moment. Raila’s loyalists will tell you it is a defining moment for Kenya, that his victory would be a diplomatic masterstroke.
But hold up, has anyone asked why Kenya’s top brass is prioritising Addis Ababa over solving the economic meltdown at home? Let’s talk numbers. Kenya’s current national debt stands at a stomach-churning Sh10.6 trillion.
The cost of living is suffocating wananchi. University students are struggling under the weight of the new funding model, with hundreds from public universities being locked out as financial woes persist, while the Social Health Authority system keeps failing, and unemployed graduates walk around with certificates that now seem more useless than an expired passport.
But our elected leaders will spend taxpayers’ money on flights, five-star hotels and per diems in the name of ‘campaigning for Baba.
Where is this energy when Kenyans are struggling with a high cost of living, despite promises of economic relief under the ‘bottom-up’ model? Where is this unity when Kenyans are rallying against punitive taxes?
Where is this urgency when Kenyans are grappling with unemployment, high taxes and an economy that seems to favour the elite over the common mwananchi? It seems patriotism only works when the political elites have a personal stake in the matter. Raila’s political journey has been legendary.
He has tried his luck at the presidency five times. Five. But maybe, just maybe, this is his ultimate exit.
Maybe, just maybe, fate is handing him an elegant retirement plan wrapped in continental prestige. Maybe Bondo is calling.
Let’s be honest: Raila’s ascension to the AU top job would give the government a strategic way to send him off with dignity. It would ensure that he exits the local political stage in style. And for Ruto, it’s a win-win.
A Raila busy in Addis Ababa means one less formidable opposition force in Kenya’s 2027 election.
No maandamano, no Baba chants in the streets, no ODM protests. Just peace, love and unity, at least from the government’s point of view. But Kenyans are not stupid. We see the irony.
The same leaders who spent years undermining Raila’s political ambitions are now his biggest campaigners.
The same government that accused him of economic sabotage during protests is now using state resources to push his AU bid. If hypocrisy was a currency, Kenyan politicians would be billionaires.
So, what happens if Baba wins?
Does Kenya suddenly become the heartbeat of Africa? Does our healthcare system miraculously heal itself? Do our universities suddenly start producing global scholars? No. Nothing changes for the ordinary Kenyan.
The price of unga will still be high. Hustlers will still hustle. And the government will still be as tone-deaf as ever.
Yes, Baba deserves the position. Yes, he has fought for this continent. But should this bid overshadow the urgent crises at home? Absolutely not
