Lawyer Wahome Thuku has offered a detailed reflection on the late ODM leader Raila Odinga’s long political journey, describing it as a unique political phenomenon that transcended party politics.
In a social media post that has drawn wide attention, Thuku argued that Raila’s influence was not tied to any political party but to a powerful personal brand that defined Kenyan politics for decades.
According to Thuku, before 2005, Raila had formed or defected from six political parties, including Ford Kenya, NDP, LDP, KANU, NARC, and ODM-Kenya.
He clarified that Raila did not originally form ODM but acquired it from lawyer Mugambi Imanyara. “From 2005 up to his death, Raila had realized that he needed not to form or join other parties, he could just get into the system with ODM,” Thuku stated.
Thuku described this shift as a defining moment that transformed Raila’s political identity.
“It was not about ODM, it was about Raila Odinga. Raila did not form ODM, he formed Railaism — a cult, a religion called Raila,” he wrote.
He emphasized that this form of loyalty and devotion is “extremely hard for anyone to form anywhere in Kenya, not even in Luo Nyanza.”
He drew comparisons between Raila’s mass following and the current political environment, where loyalty often revolves around individuals rather than institutions.
“When Raila joined KANU, they joined; when he came out, they came out. If he wanted to rejoin KANU, they would have rejoined,” Thuku observed, highlighting the unwavering support the former Prime Minister commanded.
Political observers and social media users have echoed similar sentiments, noting that Odinga’s charisma and persistence made him a central figure in Kenya’s political evolution.
Many credited him for reshaping opposition politics, while others described his following as one of the most enduring movements in Africa’s democracy.
Thuku concluded that it was not ODM that kept Raila relevant, but rather Raila himself who gave ODM its life and influence.
“It was simply Railaism,” he asserted.
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