Raila answers Ruto on ‘Deep State’ claims

Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party leader Raila Odinga says he is unaware of the existence of an ineffable election results manipulator known as the Deep State.

The former Prime Minister’s remarks come two days after Deputy President William Ruto said on Tuesday at his Karen home that his surge towards State House is unstoppable despite the Deep State’s plan to erect hurdles on his way.

“I just want to tell them: ‘We’re waiting for you’. This system, this Deep State we are being told about, we are waiting for it. They’ll come with the system, but we will be there with the people and God and see who wins,” said Dr Ruto.

In late July 2020, Raila Odinga’s elder brother, Oburu Odinga, said that the AU representative for Infrastructure lost previous presidential elections because he was not receiving the backing of the “system”.

“All these elections, we have been getting the most votes, but not ending up in State House because we did not have the system. But now in 2022, we have both the system and our votes which are always the majority — what more could we ask for?” Dr Oburu posed in a previous public address.

DP Ruto’s Tuesday statements — that the Deep State won’t stop him from ascending to Kenya’s top seat — elicited reactions from different quarters, the most notable response being that of Interior Principal Secretary Karanja Kabicho, who dismissed Ruto as “not knowing what he was saying”.

“There is no deep state. The government is structured in a manner everybody can see,” Dr Kibicho said in an interview on Spice FM on Wednesday, August 12.

And now, ODM leader Raila Odinga has reacted to DP Ruto’s statement, saying he (Raila) is unaware of the so-called Deep State.

“I, Raila Odinga, do not hold a position in the current Government. The Head of State is known, and the Deputy President is known. If you are talking of the Deep State, who is there? When someone talks about the Deep State [that is outside the Government circles], which one is it? We [in ODM] do not know about the Deep State,” said Raila Odinga while welcoming new members to ODM at Orange House in Nairobi on Thursday, August 13.

“From our previous experiences as ODM, we have learnt a lot; we know where we are coming from, and where we want to go,” he added.

After denying knowledge of the existence of a Deep State outside government circles, Odinga was asked by a journalist to respond to his elder brother’s claim — that he (Raila) will be a beneficiary of the “system” in 2022 presidential race.

“Oburu Odinga is an individual [entitled to his own opinion],” the ODM leader replied, playing down the consequence of his brother’s remarks.

Meanwhile, DP Ruto’s allies, led by Tharaka-Nithi Senator Kithure Kindiki and Soy MP Caleb Kositany have said that Ruto’s march to State House in 2022 is unstoppable, and that the so-called Deep State is bordering on cavalier since “history shows that persons backed by the system for presidential seats lost in previous elections”.