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Politics
David E Kiwuwa, Associate Professor of International Studies, University of Nottingham

Odinga is running his fifth presidential race. Why the outcome means so much for Kenya

Veteran Kenyan politician Raila Odinga is making his fifth stab at the presidency. Tony Karumba/AFP via Getty Images

Leo ni leo. Inawezekana (Today is the day. It is possible). These are the Kiswahili lyrics of Raila Odinga’s presidential campaign anthem. The 77-year-old veteran Kenyan politician has not lost optimism even though he’s contesting the election for the fifth time. He was in the race in 1997, 2007, 2013 and 2017.

This time around he looks like the front runner. This is because of the strategic alliances he has built as well as the fact that the incumbent president, Uhuru Kenyatta, has mobilised state machinery to support him in the August 2022 poll.

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