There is a silent murmur in ODM after President Uhuru Kenyatta deployed key associates from his camp to manage Raila Odinga’s campaign as the opposition leader showed no sign of being decisive in this regard.
According to insiders, President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered his team to ensure that Raila Odinga’s family stays out of the campaign functions and only focuses on the Azimio presidential aspirant’s health, welfare and other personal aspects. President Uhuru has clearly drawn the line and told the team not to put family members as managers of the campaigns.
Already, key associates of President Uhuru have taken over the Azimio Movement’s protocol and informal security arrangements. President Uhuru has not only sent his trusted security advisors but also deployed his non-state agents to oversee the effectiveness of Raila’s security.
Raila’s protocol is now being managed by a team of highly trained officers who previously worked in government with the help of serving civil servants. They have brought the much-needed order and professionalism into a campaign secretariat that was blamed for being unprofessionally managed by family interests.
Further rumours intimate to us that Raila will get extra security from the disciplined formations with the well-trained Recce taking over security management as Raila’s Men-In-Black get edged out slowly though, with a lot of resistance from a cartel which has properly depended on them for own benefit.
During the launch of Azimio Movement at Kasarani, key functionaries in Raila’s campaign auctioned the seats for as much as 30,000 each while security mishandled VVIPS or just proved incapable to manage the crowd professionally. Jubilee’s arm of Azimio also feels that this might not be blamed on ODM but just the way the various opposition outfits has survived through the times since independence. President Uhuru is determined to change all these.
Coupled with the above, President Uhuru Kenyatta has already isolated the old Raila’s campaign secretariat located at the old Homeboyz Entertainment Offices in Kilimani as a new secretariat takes shape at the former BBI Secretariat. President Uhuru has promised to ensure that all aspects of the campaign are run professionally with no undue family and cartel influence. The President has indicated to any that he won’t tolerate cronyism.
Just last week, cartels in the old Raila’s campaign secretariat pushed through the appointment of Dennis Onsarigo as the campaign secretariat press secretary after word leaked out that Raila Odinga was tapping PR guru Gina Din Kariuki to head his media and other communications engagement. The push to have Onsarigo assume the post of press secretary was a way of gate-keeping, a move which didn’t sit well with President Uhuru’s handlers.
Pundits believe that opposition cartels are positioning themselves for a future Raila presidency without any regard to optimal delivery in the campaigns. Key state sources have indicated that anyone positioning for such will be disappointed as the state works differently.
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