{"id":117734,"date":"2025-07-08T06:03:08","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T06:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/07\/08\/raila-takes-on-fake-liberator-gachagua-over-saba-saba-posturing\/"},"modified":"2025-07-08T06:03:08","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T06:03:08","slug":"raila-takes-on-fake-liberator-gachagua-over-saba-saba-posturing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/raila-takes-on-fake-liberator-gachagua-over-saba-saba-posturing\/","title":{"rendered":"Raila takes on \u2018fake liberator\u2019 Gachagua over Saba Saba posturing"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 7 \u2014 Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has openly rebuked former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of distorting political history and falsely attempting to position himself as a liberation hero.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking at a press conference on Monday following the cancellation of a planned rally at Kamkunji Grounds, Odinga recounted the sacrifices and brutal repression endured by those who challenged the one-party rule of the late President Daniel arap Moi\u2019s KANU regime.<\/p>\n

He traced the origins of the pro-democracy movement, recalling early meetings he held with his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, and reformist leaders such as Kenneth Matiba and Charles Rubia.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is quite unfortunate that some of those we were fighting back then\u2014and who sanctioned arrests\u2014are now trying to hide behind Saba Saba to advance their political fortunes. Some of them are still alive today, masquerading as liberators,\u201d Odinga said.<\/p>\n

Although he did not name Gachagua directly, Odinga\u2019s description pointed to the former Deputy President, who served as a provincial administrator during the Moi era\u2014a role that was complicit in suppressing dissent.<\/p>\n

Odinga charged that Gachagua and others are deliberately hijacking the democratic struggle narrative to boost their political ambitions.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was not one group against the entire nation. It was not one community against another, or one generation against another. The movement stood for peaceful and constitutional change,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n

Odinga also addressed the youth-led Saba Saba demonstrations, stating that the 35th anniversary should have been marked through structured civic engagement, not spontaneous street protests.<\/p>\n

\u201cSaba Saba commemoration belongs at Kamkunji Grounds, not on the streets. That\u2019s where it began, and that\u2019s where it belongs,\u201d Odinga said, following the rally\u2019s cancellation due to heavy police presence and road barricades.<\/p>\n

\u2018Unstructured resistance\u2019<\/h2>\n

He warned against reinterpreting Saba Saba as a symbol of unstructured resistance, emphasizing the historical importance of Kamkunji Grounds, which hosted major political milestones\u2014including the final KAU rally in 1952, the first KANU rally, and later the founding meetings of the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD).<\/p>\n

The ODM leader proposed the formation of a national, intergenerational conclave to address Kenya\u2019s political and governance challenges, calling for the development of actionable reforms on youth employment, accountability, transparency, and police-citizen relations.<\/p>\n

\u201cI propose that the envisioned conclave develop sustainable mechanisms to tackle corruption and ensure leaders are held accountable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Odinga revisited the events of July 7, 1990, when he, Matiba, Rubia, Gitobu Imanyara, and others called for a rally at Kamkunji Grounds to demand the repeal of Section 2A of the Constitution and the return of multiparty democracy. <\/p>\n

The Moi regime responded with mass arrests and violent crackdowns.<\/p>\n

He recalled how security forces violently dispersed demonstrators, with many injured or killed, marking Saba Saba as a critical moment in Kenya\u2019s democratic evolution.<\/p>\n

\u201cSaba Saba was about political freedom, constitutional reform, and the fight for a multiparty system. It was convened with a clear agenda by known leaders,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n

Section 2A repeal<\/h2>\n

Odinga noted that it took nearly 18 months after that rally for the state to lift the ban on political pluralism, culminating in the repeal of Section 2A on December 2, 1991.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must return to a structured agenda for comprehensive reforms,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Criticizing the continued heavy-handedness of Kenyan police, Odinga accused them of operating like a colonial force, citing ongoing reports of brutality and lack of accountability.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe name changed from police force to police service, but the behavior has not,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

He also accused some contemporary political actors of attempting to rewrite history, portraying themselves as liberators despite their prior support for the KANU regime.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must not allow revisionism. The history of Saba Saba is clear. It was led by Matiba, Rubia, and myself, among others. The goals were specific, and the methods were constitutional,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Odinga acknowledged that youth grievances are valid but urged that they be channeled through lawful and strategic platforms to ensure lasting reform.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe real question is: where do we go from here? Do we embrace chaos or come together as a nation? As a living architect of Saba Saba, I choose unity and progress for our country,\u201d he affirmed.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 7 \u2014 Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has openly rebuked former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, accusing him of distorting political history and falsely attempting to position himself as a liberation hero. Speaking at a press conference on Monday following the cancellation of a planned rally at Kamkunji Grounds, Odinga recounted the sacrifices […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-117734","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117734","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=117734"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/117734\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=117734"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=117734"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=117734"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}