During a high-profile event at State House, Nairobi, on August 27, 2024, President William Ruto and former Nigerian leader Olusegun Obasanjo openly reflected on the significant personal costs they endured due to their association with Raila Odinga.
The State House occasion marked the launch of Raila’s bid for the African Union Commission (AUC) chairmanship.
Obasanjo, speaking at the event, recounted a pivotal moment in 1994 when he visited Kenya at Raila’s invitation to attend the funeral of Kenya’s first Vice President, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
The visit, however, led to serious consequences upon his return to Nigeria.
“Knowing you has been a blessing, and I don’t know whether I should also say the other part of it here, because by knowing you as far back as the beginning of 1990s, you made me to come here in 1994 to go to Kisumu where we were yesterday,” Obasanjo reflected.
N/B. Obasanjo was in Kisumu on Monday, August 26, 2024, for the official opening of the Festac Africa Festival.
The former Nigerian president detailed how his visit to Kisumu in 1994 resulted in accusations of instigating insurrection both in Kenya and Nigeria.
Obasanjo, who is also known by the moniker Babah like Raila, noted that he was jailed following his visit to Kenya at the invitation of the AUC candidate.
“And I was part of that last honour we did to Jaramogi Odinga. When I returned home in Nigeria, I was accused of coming to Kenya to join the opposition to topple the government of Kenya. And I was also accused of planning a coup in Nigeria – that landed me in prison,” he said.
Despite the hardship, Obasanjo noted that his time in prison ultimately paved the way for his future presidency in Nigeria.
“So your invitation for me to come to Kenya in 1995, and my not keeping my mouth shut when I got back home landed me in jail. So knowing you has been a blessing because if I hadn’t gone to jail maybe I wouldn’t have been the president of Nigeria,” he added.
Ruto’s ICC case
President William Ruto, in his remarks, also recalled the challenges he faced due to his support for Raila, particularly during the 2007 presidential election in Kenya, which pitted the AUC candidate against the late Mwai Kibaki.
Ruto’s support for Raila led to his prosecution at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague over his role in the 2007 post-election v******e.
“Let me also inform Babah there that you are not the only one who got into trouble with being a friend of Raila Odinga. I also once upon a time supported Raila Odinga and I got myself into a lot of trouble,” Ruto stated.
Drawing a parallel with Obasanjo’s experience, Ruto emphasized the gravity of the situation.
“Almost similar trouble like yours, only that you were prosecuted in a Nigerian court, I was prosecuted in a foreign court. And that you were jailed and I escaped – that’s the only difference. But the same way you subsequently became president I also subsequently became president. So there is something there,” Ruto remarked.