Kenya Elections 2007: Nationmedia.com

Mwai Kibaki | Kalonzo Musyoka | Raila Odinga

Raila Odinga

Story by Nation Reporter

POLL TRENDS

Mention the name Raila Odinga and you are met with all kinds of reactions. Some writers coined the terms 'Raila Phobia' and 'Raila Mania' to describe the sorts of reactions he gets when interacting with the public.

Most of his life has been served in the public service, as a university lecturer, as a civil rights activist, and as a member of parliament.

Raila was first elected as an MP for Langata constituency of Langata, Nairobi, in 1992. He has retained the seat in subsequent elections in 1997 and 2002.

He has been in different parties, in Ford-Kenya, in the National Democratic Party where he started his co-operation with Moi's government and where he was appointed minister for energy.

He later defected to the Liberal Democratic Party, one of the coalition partenrs of the National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) that won the 2002 general election and broke Kanu’s stranglehold on power since Independence in 1963. He was then appointed minister for roads, public works, and housing. However, he was dropped from the cabinet at the end of 2005, following his support for the 'No' vote in the constitutional referendum.

He endured three periods of detention without trial, for a total of eight years, six of them spent in solitary confinement.

Langata Constituency, which he represents, has one of the biggest slums in Africa. He is largely criticised for not doing much to improve Kibera's squalid conditions. His supporters however say he has initiated several poverty-alleviation and education projects, including Kibera slum upgrading and the Raila Education Centre.

FULL NAMES:	Raila Amolo Odinga
PARTY:	Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)
POLITICAL HISTORY:	Detained without trial for six years following August 1, 1982, coup attempt by Kenya Air Force personnel. Initially charged with treason, detained after nolle prosequi entered by state; 1982 Six months after being released, detained again for a year; 1988 One year after being released, detained again for a year; 1990 Political asylum in Norway for four months; 1991 Returns to Kenya to help found the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy, the first new political party to be registered after the restoration of the multiparty state in Kenya; 1991 General election: Wins Langata parliamentary seat on a Ford-Kenya ticket; 1992 Resigns from Ford-Kenya, joins the National Development Party (NDP); 1996 Wins Langata by-election on NDP ticket; 1997 General election: Successfully defends Langata seat; 1997 Presidential candidate: Achieves third place in field of 15; 1997 Appointed minister for energy; 2001 Leads NDP into merger with Kanu. Elected Kanu secretary-general; 2002 Leads Kanu breakaway faction (Rainbow Alliance) to join Liberal Democratic Party (LDP); 2002 Teams up with National Alliance Party of Kenya, a group of opposition parties, to form National Rainbow Coalition (Narc); 2002 General election: Ensures opposition unity by taking a rear seat and publicly backing Mwai Kibaki for president; 2002 Signs Memorandum of Understanding regarding cabinet power-sharing in event of Narc election victory; 2002 Successfully defends Langata seat on LDP ticket; 2002 Narc ousts Kanu from power it has held since Independence; 2002 Appointed minister for roads, public works and housing, but Kibaki reneges on Memorandum of Understanding power-sharing agreement; 2002 After Draft Constitution proposed by assembly of representatives (Bomas Draft) is changed to reflect government self-interest, leads group of parties opposed to changes to become Orange Democratic Movement. ODM leads nation in ‘no’ vote in referendum on constitutional changes, and wins by more than one million votes; 2005 Replaced as Minister for roads and public works; 2005
BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:	Assistant lecturer, department of mechanical engineering, University of Nairobi ; 1970 Partner in Franz Schineis & Partners, engineering consultants; 1971 Established Standard Processing Equipment Construction & Erection (Spectre, later East African Spectre Ltd), engineering company that later specialised in the manufacture of liquid petroleum gas cylinders; 1971 Appointed group standards manager, Kenya Bureau of Standards; 1974 Two-month programme at British Standards Institution, London: Standards and specification writing, product testing and quality control; 1975 Two-month programme at US National Bureau of Standards, Gaithersburg, Maryland, and University of Denver, Colorado; 1976 Promoted to deputy director, Kenya Bureau of Standards; 1978
DATE OF BIRTH:	January 7th, 1945
PLACE OF BIRTH:	Maseno Church Missionary Society Hospital, Nyanza
SPOUSE:	Ida Anyango Oyoo
CHILDREN:	Fidel; YOB: 1973 Rosemary; YOB: 1977 Raila Jnr; YOB: 1979 Winnie; YOB: 1990
HOME:	Opoda Farm (Bondo District, Nyanza) and Nairobi
CAMPAIGN WEB SITE:	www.raila07.com
EDUCATION:
UNIVERSITY /COLLEGE	Otto von Guericke Technical University, Magdeburg, Germany (graduated with MSc in Mechanical Engineering); 1964 - 1969 Herder Institute (high school). Leipzig, Germany; 1962 - 1964
SECONDARY /HIGH SCHOOL	Maranda Primary and High School, Nyanza; 1954 - 1962
PRIMARY SCHOOL	Kisumu Union Primary School, Nyanza; 1952 - 1953
BOOKS:
ABOUT SELF	Raila Odinga: An Enigma in Kenyan Politics