The Kenyattas, Mois and Odingas are not descendants of political dynasties, AU Envoy for Infrastructure Raila Odinga said on KTN on Wednesday night.
The families’ political rise is due to hard work, patience and determination contrary to common belief that they had it easy courtesy of their fathers, he said.
President Uhuru Kenyatta’s father Jomo Kenyatta was Kenya’s founding father in 1963, Raila’s father Jaramogi Oginga Odinga was the first Vice President and the doyen opposition in Kenya, while Baringo Senator Gideon Moi’s father Daniel arap Moi was Kenya’s second President.
“Dynasties used to exist in medieval Europe and the Middle East, but they never existed in Africa. If you take, for example, Jomo Kenyatta was from a very humble background. He died in the office when Uhuru was about 17 years. If it was a dynasty, Uhuru would have been crowned the prince,” Raila said.
The Odingas and Kenyattas are often referred to as political dynasties since they have been part of the country’s leadership since Independence.
Raila said their fathers never had it easy and neither have their sons in their quest to govern Kenya.
“Jaramogi came from a very poor background. He was a teacher then resigned to become a businessman and later a freedom fighter. He became a Vice President for a short period before switching to the opposition,” Raila said.
“How is Raila a beneficiary of the dynasty? Where does the dynasty come from?” Raila asked.
Raila told Kenyans to focus on development and politics of succession.
“If anything else, the Odingas have given more than what they have gotten from the society. It is a very tired subject,” he said.
Some proponents of constitutional change have proposed the enactment of election laws that prevent the country’s leadership from rotating between two or three prominent families.
Thirdway Alliance leader Ekuru Aukot has on many occasions said the laws should be such that even an individual from a little-known family can ascend to power.
The 2022 General Election is considered by some to be a contest between ‘hustlers’ and ‘dynasties’.
On December 2018, Aukot filed a petition in court seeking the dissolution of the Building Bridges Task Force.
The team was set up through a May 31 Gazette notice to steer President Uhuru’s and ODM leader Raila’s handshake.
The task force was formed to consult Kenyans on the way out of the violence that follows every election cycle.