Church anoints Raila for top job

By: LUCAS BARASA
Published: 4/2/2007

A church has anointed Lang'ata MP Raila Odinga to run for the presidency. The ceremony was held in a small tent at the St John Everlasting Gospel Church in Imara Daima, Nairobi yesterday. Mr Odinga and his wife Ida knelt on a carpet as Bishop Joseph Ogutu blessed him before applying oil on the presidential hopeful's forehead.

The church blessed the Lang'ata MP's quest for the presidency. Photo / CHRIS OJOW Bishop Ogutu asked God to fulfil Mr Odinga's presidential ambitions saying the Luo community had paved the way for Kenya's first President, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta, to ascend to the top seat. It had also supported President Kibaki in 2002 and it was now its turn to lead the nation. Mr Odinga was given a Bible as a symbol to fight his enemies in his quest for the State House.

The ODM-Kenya presidential hopeful, who was ranked second in popularity ratings in the latest Steadman opinion poll, said the blessing was to only enable him go round the country to seek votes. He said it is "Kenyans and God" who will eventually elect the next President. Mr Odinga further announced that he had forgiven retired president Daniel arap Moi and others who oppressed and jailed him during his struggle for democracy. He promised not to take revenge should he become president.

Mr Odinga was detained without trial three times for his criticism of the Moi administration. He was behind bars for a total of eight years, six of them in solitary confinement, after he was accused of treason. "I know there are some people who fear that if Raila Odinga becomes President he will look for them because of the things they did to him in the past... I would like to be seen as conciliatory. They should not think Raila is going to arrest them and take them to jail," he said after the church service.

Born-again Christian Bishop Ogutu said the MP had wrongly been portrayed as a non-Christian yet he was a staunch believer and went to church every Sunday. The anointing, he added, was to signify that Mr Odinga was a born-again Christian. "He (Mr Odinga) is better than some bishops. He forgave Moi, a thing that many bishops didn't do. Raila loves all Kenyans and will not take anyone to jail because he has been there and he knows how it is," the bishop said.

Others who spoke described Mr Odinga as a champion of democracy. Some even said he had undergone similar tribulations like Jesus and Joshua in the Bible. Bishop Ogutu took issue with leaders who used abusive language, saying everyone was important. And quoting South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Mr Odinga said: "Without truth there can be no justice, without justice there can be no reconciliation, without reconciliation there can be no peace and without peace there can be no development." According to him, Kenya was recovering from the dark days of the Nyayo torture chambers and detention without trial and was now able to open up democratic space because of the vigilance of Kenyans.

The MP also paid tribute to victims of torture during the Moi administration. Recalling his life in detention, Mr Odinga said detainees were only allowed one hour out of 24 outside their tiny cells. "When you find yourself in such a condition in the struggle for equality and capture its spirit, you can't revenge. Revenge does not pay; revenge is for the Lord," Mr Odinga said, adding: "In my heart there's no hatred." He said even former South African President Nelson Mandela reached out to apartheid era President F.W. de Clerk after he, Mandela, was released from jail. "Mandela said hatred is not a solution to problems. Raila Odinga, after all those days in detention, has said hatred does not pay. Moi made many mistakes, but we have forgiven him," he said.

To show he had no grudge against Mr Moi, Mr Odinga said, the National Development Party (NDP), of which he was the leader - cooperated with Kanu and later merged with the then ruling party. The two parties later fell out ahead of the 2002 General Election. NDP is now defunct. Mr Odinga said he stood for truth, justice, restitution, reconciliation and consolidation of efforts to ensure better lives for all Kenyans. "We want one united Kenya where every child born has a right to advance upwards in terms of social mobility. Employment should be on the basis of equity. We should not just promote one ethnic community."

He further called for equitable sharing of wealth, devolution of power to the grassroots and better medical care for all. The anointing comes months after that of former vice-president Musalia Mudavadi, Eldoret North MP William Ruto and Mvita's Najib Balala by their respective communities to vie for the top seat. All are seeking the presidency on an ODM-Kenya ticket.