3 memorable things Kijana Wamalwa said about Raila before his death

david nganga

August 23, 2018 12:26 PM

Today marks 15 years since the death of Michael Kijana Wamalwa.

Today marks 15 years since the death of former Vice President Michael Kijana Wamalwa.

He was a distinguished political leader and a believer of the prospect of Kenya’s oneness.

In the same way, Wamalwa was known to have a frosty relationship with former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga.

The two fell-out following Jaramogi Oginga Odinga's death in 1994 owing to among other things, succession politics.

Here are a few memorable quotes he said about Mr Odinga, a man he knew for close to 50 years:

On intelligence

"Raila is not my peer intellectually by any description. If Raila was a man of any abilities as the son of Kenya’s first Vice-President in the early 1960s when scholarships to the top universities in the world were open to the sons of African leaders at their taking, he wouldn't have gone over land to Cairo to get on to some ramshackle boat to go to East Germany. I think this is a reflection of his abilities."

On his capability as a leader

"I don’t think he has any leadership capabilities because he is a very dictatorial fellow. Whenever he talks in NEC meetings, he always says ‘we must do this ‘and people answer back ‘you can’t force us to do this."

On his support and followers

"That’s a myth. What Raila has is a private militia of unemployed youth who he pays money to cheer him wherever he goes."

david nganga