The relationship between Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga traces the most complex political arc in modern Kenyan history, evolving from violent enemies in 2007 to electoral rivals in 2013 and 2017, to governing partners after the 2018 handshake, to Uhuru actively supporting Raila's failed 2022 presidential bid against his own deputy William Ruto. The relationship reshaped Kenyan politics multiple times, demonstrating that elite bargains, not ideology or ethnicity, drive Kenya's political configurations, and that yesterday's enemies can become today's allies when interests align.
The 2007-2008 period established Uhuru and Raila as bitter enemies. During the 2007 Post-Election Violence, Uhuru was a senior figure in Mwai Kibaki's Party of National Unity, while Raila led the Orange Democratic Movement challenging what he claimed was a stolen election. The violence that followed killed over 1,100 people, with Kikuyu and Luo communities suffering disproportionately on opposite sides. The International Criminal Court's investigation into post-election violence indicted Uhuru for allegedly organizing attacks against ODM supporters, including Raila's Luo base. The personal animosity was deep: Raila saw Uhuru as a beneficiary of electoral theft and ethnic violence; Uhuru saw Raila as responsible for destabilizing the country.
The 2013 and 2017 elections deepened the rivalry. Uhuru and William Ruto formed the Jubilee Alliance explicitly to defeat Raila, using their ICC indictments as political assets and the "tyranny of numbers" ethnic arithmetic to secure victory. Raila challenged both results in the Supreme Court: in 2013, he lost 4-2; in 2017, he won 4-2, with the court nullifying Uhuru's victory in an unprecedented ruling. The October 2017 repeat election, which Raila boycotted, left Kenya polarized and Uhuru's legitimacy questioned. By early 2018, the two men represented irreconcilable political camps, and Kenya appeared headed for prolonged crisis.
The March 9, 2018 handshake was a shock because nothing in the public relationship suggested reconciliation was possible. The joint statement at Harambee House emphasized healing, unity, and addressing the nine issues dividing Kenya. However, the handshake was driven by hard-nosed calculations, not Kumbaya sentiment. Uhuru needed to govern a divided country and had concluded that his deputy Ruto was a greater threat than his old rival Raila. Raila needed relevance after his fourth failed presidential bid and guarantees for Luo political interests. The handshake allowed both men to achieve goals they could not reach through continued confrontation.
The partnership phase (2018-2022) saw Uhuru and Raila working together on the Building Bridges Initiative, constitutional reforms designed to create a more inclusive political system (and to marginalize Ruto). Uhuru appointed Raila allies to government positions, channeled resources to Raila's constituencies, and consulted Raila on major decisions. The relationship was transactional but functional: Raila provided Uhuru political cover in opposition strongholds; Uhuru provided Raila access to state resources and influence. Critics, particularly Ruto, attacked the partnership as a "dynasty deal" between two sons of presidents conspiring to keep ordinary Kenyans locked out of power.
The 2022 election tested whether the Uhuru-Raila alliance could deliver electoral victory. Uhuru actively campaigned for Raila against his own deputy Ruto, an unprecedented betrayal of the Jubilee partnership. Uhuru mobilized state resources, appointed Raila-friendly IEBC commissioners, and deployed government machinery to support Raila's campaign. However, it wasn't enough: Ruto won 50.49 percent to Raila's 48.85 percent, delivering both Uhuru and Raila their most consequential political defeat. The loss demonstrated that state machinery and elite endorsement could be overcome by superior grassroots organization and a compelling counter-narrative (hustlers versus dynasties).
The Uhuru-Raila relationship's broader significance lies in what it reveals about Kenyan politics. Ethnic identities and historical grievances matter, but elite interests matter more. Political partnerships are transactional and can reconfigure with stunning speed when calculations change. Presidential endorsements and state support are valuable but not determinative. And the sons of Jomo Kenyatta and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, whose fathers' rivalry defined independent Kenya's first decades, could ultimately work together, suggesting that Kenyan politics is less about inherited tribal animosities and more about contemporary elite bargaining over power and resources.
See Also
- 2007 Post-Election Violence
- 2013 Presidential Election
- 2017 Election and Nullification
- The Handshake March 2018
- Building Bridges Initiative
- Uhuru and William Ruto Fallout
- 2022 Presidential Election
- Raila Odinga
- Luo Political History
- Kikuyu Political Power
- Political Coalitions
Sources
- "From Rivals to Allies: The Uhuru-Raila Political Journey," The East African, August 2022. https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/uhuru-raila-political-journey-3896446
- "The Handshake and Its Discontents," African Arguments, March 2020. https://africanarguments.org/2020/03/handshake-discontents-kenya-uhuru-raila/
- Cheeseman, Nic. "Kenya's 2022 Election: The End of the Uhuru-Raila Alliance," Journal of Democracy, October 2022.
- "How Uhuru and Raila Became Political Partners," Daily Nation Analysis, March 2021. https://nation.africa/kenya/news/how-uhuru-raila-became-political-partners-3323784