Raila Was No Enigma. He Was the Trojan Horse of Kenyan Politics. Or Wasn’t He?
Few figures in post-independence Africa have commanded as much admiration and controversy as Raila Amolo Odinga. To some, he is the eternal reformer — a freedom fighter who suffered detention, exile, and betrayal in the long struggle for democracy.
To others, he is the quintessential political shape-shifter, a man who has mastered the art of handshakes, backroom deals, and elite bargains — the Trojan Horse who always finds his way into the citadel of power.
But was Raila truly a Trojan horse, or simply a realist navigating Kenya’s stormy political tides?
From the Furnace of Struggle: The Making of “Baba”
Born in 1945 to Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Kenya’s first Vice President, Raila inherited both a political name and a national expectation. Educated in East Germany, he returned home with an engineer’s mind and a revolutionary spirit. His father’s fall-out with Jomo Kenyatta over matters of ideology and justice would shape the young Raila’s political consciousness.
In the 1980s, as President Daniel arap Moi tightened his grip on a one-party state, Raila became a symbol of resistance. Detained without trial for years and accused of complicity in the 1982 coup attempt, he endured torture, isolation, and exile.
To his supporters, this era cemented his legend — the man who refused to bow. To his detractors, it was the birth of a political operator who would later perfect the art of survival.
The Dawn of Multiparty Politics and the Politics of Shifting Ground (1992–2001)
When multiparty democracy returned in 1992, Raila joined the opposition under FORD–Kenya, founded by his father. But after a leadership dispute with Michael Wamalwa Kijana, he walked out to form the National Development Party (NDP) — his first major political recalibration.
“If the system locks you out, you build your own house,” Raila once remarked.
Supporters saw this as resilience; critics saw opportunism.
Then came the NDP–KANU merger of 2001 — a political thunderbolt. Raila joined hands with President Moi, entering the very regime that had jailed him. He became Minister for Energy and KANU Secretary General. To admirers, this was a masterstroke: infiltrating the establishment from within. To opponents, it was the ultimate betrayal — the reformist turned insider, the “Trojan Horse” finally within the palace gates.
2002: The Kingmaker Who Ended KANU Rule
When Moi anointed Uhuru Kenyatta as his successor, Raila broke ranks. He rallied disillusioned forces into the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), uniting opposition behind Mwai Kibaki.
The result? The end of KANU’s 40-year reign.
For a moment, Raila was hailed as the architect of change. Yet, soon after, the “Kibaki Tosha” alliance crumbled. The power-sharing expectations that followed the election win went unfulfilled, and Raila’s supporters accused Kibaki of sidelining him. The fallout birthed the Orange Movement during the 2005 constitutional referendum — a campaign that gave rise to his enduring political brand, ODM (Orange Democratic Movement).
Supporters applauded his stand against centralised power; critics said he had plunged the country into permanent campaign mode.
2007–2008: Crisis, Coalition and Compromise
The 2007 general election was a defining moment. Raila, running against incumbent Kibaki, appeared headed for victory until results turned chaotic. Violence erupted — Kenya’s darkest hour since independence. Over 1,000 people were killed, and hundreds of thousands displaced.
Under international mediation led by Kofi Annan, a Grand Coalition Government was formed. Raila became Prime Minister, sharing power with Kibaki.
Here, opinions diverge sharply:
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Supporters call it statesmanship — Raila put country before ego, choosing peace over power.
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Critics call it capitulation — he legitimised a stolen election through a handshake.
Yet, within this uneasy coalition, the 2010 Constitution was born — a transformative document devolving power to counties, strengthening institutions, and redefining governance.
It remains one of Raila’s most enduring legacies.
2013–2017: The People’s President and the Politics of Protest
Raila’s presidential bids in 2013 and 2017 kept Kenya’s democracy vibrant — and volatile. Both elections ended in contested results, but in 2017 he scored a historical first: the Supreme Court nullified a presidential election in his favour, ordering a repeat vote.
When Raila boycotted that re-run, he declared himself “The People’s President.”
To supporters, this was courage — defiance against a captured system.
To critics, it was political theatre that risked plunging the nation into chaos.
2018: The Handshake — A Peace Pact or Power Pact?
In March 2018, Raila shocked his base by shaking hands with President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The Handshake birthed the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), a grand vision for inclusivity, but one that critics labelled elitist and unconstitutional. When courts later halted it, it left a mixed legacy — peace achieved, but trust lost.
For many of his diehard supporters, this was the second great “Trojan moment.”
They asked: Had Baba been co-opted by the system again?
2022–2025: The Final Chapter? Cooperation with Ruto
After narrowly losing the 2022 presidential election to William Ruto, Raila initially led nationwide protests challenging the results. But by 2025, his ODM party entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Ruto’s government — another handshake of sorts.
Supporters called it maturity — a statesman choosing dialogue over division.
Critics saw it as déjà vu — the cyclical absorption of opposition into government.
Hero or Trojan Horse? The Raila Paradox
Raila Odinga’s political life mirrors Kenya’s own struggle between idealism and pragmatism, ethnic politics and national vision, resistance and compromise.
He has fought for democracy, endured jail for his beliefs, and helped deliver Kenya’s most progressive constitution. Yet he has also repeatedly entered alliances that blurred the line between reformer and opportunist.
In truth, Raila was neither saint nor schemer alone. He was both — a man who refused to be confined by static loyalties, navigating the shifting sands of Kenyan politics with survivalist genius.
He built bridges even where others burned them, but sometimes, he built them so close to the enemy camp that his own people felt betrayed.
So, Was He the Trojan Horse?
If being a Trojan Horse means infiltrating systems of power to change them from within, then perhaps yes — Raila Odinga was one.
If it means deception and betrayal of ideals, then perhaps not.
What is certain is that Kenya’s political story cannot be told without him.
He is not merely part of the narrative — he is the narrative: a paradox of conviction and compromise, heroism and heartbreak, resistance and reconciliation.
In the end, Raila Odinga may not have conquered the State House — but he conquered time. For over four decades, he remained relevant, rebellious, and remarkably resilient. And that, whether one calls him hero or Trojan horse, is the mark of a political titan.
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