
This weekend has showed that Special Envoy and the man of the Hour, Raila Odinga wasn’t it in Kenya. As he was given a role and a position to mediate in South Sudan. He got the Red Carpet treatment and the old statesman protocol when arriving. However, it went dark pretty quick, as the Kenyan politician couldn’t get what he requested from His Excellency, President Salva Kiir Mayardit.
J1 or Kiir wasn’t interested in the talks or even entertaining it at this very time. So, at the moment the request and the wish for Odinga to meet the house-arrested Dr. Riek Machar went nowhere. That meant after meeting Kiir the Kenyan politician just went to his hotel and did squat. As he was destined to fly from Juba to Kampala to hold talks with President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni on the matter again.
Alas, the two main leaders and their needs for talks are stalled, as the Commander-in-Chief and the ones controlling the state instruments are holding the other one incarcerated. Kiir are deciding the fate of Machar at the moment. Meanwhile, his sending Odinga on a fishing expedition with no end in sight.
Museveni is a guarantor of the shaky R-ARCSS, but also a partner of Kiir. They are both invested in keeping Kiir in Office and keeping the regime intact. That’s why the UPDF has a Security Agreement and the UPDF is on the front-lines on behalf of the J1. This is why the UPDF is used as a tool of oppression and tyranny. It is giving power and a life-line to Kiir. Which is more powerful than anything else he possess at the moment.
IGAD sending Odinga is a failed enterprise. Odinga wasn’t fit for this. It is just shown, as Kiir dismissed his ideas and even the ability to speak to Machar. That means Kiir doesn’t see him as an equal or someone who would serve him. That’s why Odinga was sent packing.
It is just really telling how quickly and how things has been messaged after the fact. The whole travels of Odinga could just be a publicity stunt. A way of showing the world that Kiir is talking and letting the neighbours try to resolve the matter. However, the case is just pending and the big-men not letting go.
This here shows that the scorn and battle-harden men won’t go off easy. Odinga sold himself here and didn’t even do the basics. He wasn’t even able to talk to the ones in question. That means his whole trip was a waste of time. Unless, he really wanted to spend time outside of Kenya. Nevertheless, that became really brief.
Odinga shouldn’t be hopeful in a return or that he has to act with haste. There is little given and less are paid in respects here. Right now… he is just acting in folly and getting paid to spend time in hotels. His not building a mediation or a report worth mentioning, as he couldn’t even get to navigate or allowed to meet the important stakeholders. The conflict is in the open and the Special Envoy was silenced.
Just imagined that he travelled to Juba and couldn’t get to see FVP Machar. That’s a compelling case and a story. In addition, that Kiir sent him to Museveni. Just to waste him more time on the matter. Odinga won’t win here either. His being toyed around with and we can all see it coming. Peace.












