Despite Kenyan ministers publicly claiming to have at least 26 votes locked up for Raila Odinga many pundits believe that the battle to lead the African Union Commission is a 50/50 fight between the veteran Kenyan opposition leader and Djibouti's foreign minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf...

It is a remarkable turnaround just two years after an election in which Gachagua helped Ruto to a surprise win over the political establishment and its candidate Raila Odinga...

After more than two decades as opposition leader Raila Odinga is hanging up his spurs at least temporarily and leaving a critically damaged opposition in his wake...

Trouble on the mountain Exiled from his own government by President William Ruto's deal with Raila Odinga Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua is struggling to retain his status as Mount Kenya's political leader (AC Vol 63 No 12 Now the numbers favour Raila Odinga)...

Amid regional turbulence President William Ruto showed Kenya's pulling power with a star-studded launch on 27 August for his former foe Raila Odinga's campaign to lead the African Union Commission (AUC)...

Odinga initially signalled his plans to succeed Chadian incumbent Moussa Faki Mahamat as AUC chairman in February and was quickly endorsed by most of Kenya's political establishment (Dispatches 21/2/24 Raila Odinga's bid for AU chair wins consensus in Nairobi)...

Veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga is in power if not in office after four members of his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) including party chair John Mbadi now Finance Minister and Odinga's two deputies Hassan Joho and Wycliffe Oparanya were brought into William Ruto's unofficial unity government in July with Mbadi as Cabinet Treasury Secretary (AC Vol 65 No 16 Raila names his price)...

Former Nairobi governor Evans Kidero a former ally of Raila Odinga who has since joined Ruto's United Democratic Alliance is one of few to have good relations with Ruto...

Screenings for the replacement ministers – five are allies of electoral rival Raila Odinga four from business and ten from Ruto's former cabinet – are due to wind up in mid-August...

First he led the crackdown against supporters of oppositionist Raila Odinga following the 2017 polls...

Matiang'i would have expected a senior ministerial job had Raila Odinga won the presidency...

Four ministries including the Treasury was the price Raila Odinga set for propping up William Ruto's ailing presidency and to establish what is effectively Kenya's first unity government since 2008...

President William Ruto signed a bipartisan law to reform the IEBC in July and the selection panel tasked with recruiting new IEBC commissioners took office on 30 July after lengthy wrangling between Ruto's Kenya Kwanza and the opposition Azimio la Umoja of Raila Odinga which still blames IEBC bias for Ruto's election in August 2022...

Early last week opposition Azimio la Umoja leader Raila Odinga held talks with Ruto on a ‘handshake 2...

Their dissent towards anyone who has been part of the political class became clear when veteran opposition leader Raila Odinga declared in early July that he would be open to dialogue with President William Ruto (Dispatches 9/7/24 Ruto pledges cuts on state budgets and anti-graft action as he struggle to assert control)...