Winnie Odinga has lauded Raila Odinga's chief agent in last year's presidential election Saitabao Ole Kanchory for his courage to share what she termed as the truth about the former prime minister's campaigns.
In his new book titled ‘Why Baba is Not The 5th’, Kanchory lifted the lid on the behind-the-scenes chaos, power struggles and infighting among Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya coalition honchos, that he believes cost Raila the country's top job.
In a text message to Kanchory, the last-born daughter of Raila, indicated that she was torn between three things in the highly controversial book.
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"I'm torn between feelings, vindication and timing," Winnie said in the text shared by Kanchory on Twitter.
She went on to add that her opinion notwithstanding, the "truth is the truth and only a moran has the balls to say it. Hongera (Congratulations)."
The East African Legislative Assembly member, however, warned the lawyer to be prepared to face critics, who she described as "wolves".
Kanchory expressed his delight for Winnie's "fair and objective" review of his book, saying he was not worried about the criticism from a section of Raila's supporters in the Azimio la Umoja - One Kenya coalition.
"Winnie Odinga don't worry about them. Where I come from, lions scamper for safety when they see us. Wolves are but domestic pets; I'll deal with them," Kanchory stated further acknowledging Martha Karua's positive response about his "dossier".
"Only intellectual dwarfs & hopeless sycophants will have a problem with this historic book. For the shameless, faceless, nameless, brainless minions (professional mourners weeping louder than the bereaved) who are yapping without even reading the Book, you can't possibly know or mean better than Martha, Winnie or myself. Everyone who matters knows my immense contribution & commitment to Raila Odinga's 2022 Presidential bid for which I nearly paid with my own life!"
THANK YOU @MarthaKarua and @Winnie_Odinga for your FAIR & OBJECTIVE Review of #THEBOOK.
Only intellectual dwarfs & hopeless sycophants will have a problem with this historic book.
For the shameless, faceless, nameless, brainless minions (professional mourners weeping louder… pic.twitter.com/A3oFdF4HRV— SAITABAO OLE KANCHORY (@Saitabao) April 14, 2023
In the book that has elicited mixed reactions, Kanchory claims Raila won the 2022 polls but gave away the victory in a “tragicomedy” orchestrated through a lack of proper strategy and organisation of the campaign team and staff.
“Elections in Kenya are won nor lost; they’re taken. Baba gave it away. He won, yes, but he gave it away. Presidential elections are there for those who are prepared to take it. There has never been an election in Kenya in the last nearly 20 years that has been won, all of them have been taken,” Kanchory told KTN.
He writes that he only had a sit down with the Azimio leader and Karua after William Ruto was declared the President-elect, as they prepared to lodge a petition at the Supreme Court case.
“Not once did Baba and Martha personally join our deliberations whether as national chief agents team, at the command centre or called to inquire the process,” he writes.
Among those he accuses of failing in the Azimio camp include senior government officials whom he accuses of misusing "crazy" resources allocated to the party.
Kanchory also alleges there was infighting on who would control the resources at the command centre.
“It is not that the command centre was not given resources but the national chef agents team of five; myself, Oduor Ong’wen, Dr Caroline Karugu, Prof Isaiah wa Kindiki and Paul Mwangi, was kept out of the command centre,” the former chief agent writes.
“The confusion at the command centre had been made worse by endless infighting and internal wrangles within the Azimio family. These turf wars found their way into the sensitive issue of agents, with every Azimio strongman and woman insisting they must be the ones to provide the list of presidential agents,” Kanchory claims.
