Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga has coined another strategy to push his presidential bid ahead of the August 2022 General Election.
Raila has picked the 'Engineer' title as his latest moniker to popularise his bid to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta seven months ahead of the polls.
Speaking in Kilifi County on Friday, December 31, during the end of year party hosted by the Central Organization of Trade Unions (COTU) Francis Atwoli, Raila sent a clear message to Kenyans stating that at the moment, the country needs an engineer as their next Commander-in- Chief of the Armed Forces.
"At the moment, Kenya needs an engineer as their next leader. A person who has enough experience and expertise in the engineering field to steer the country forward to its next desired level," Raila stated.
Endorsing himself, the former prime minister added, "The only candidate at the moment who has that experience is yours truly (referring to himself) to drive this Kenyan vehicle in this period to scale the heights projected by the founding fathers of this nation."
The African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development is said to have studied mechanical engineering in East Germany in 1970 before returning to the country.
Upon returning to the country, Raila ventured into teaching where he lectured at the University of Nairobi and also engaged in other engineering-related businesses on the side.
During that period he established the East African Spectre Limited, a company that allowed him to put his skills into use. He later left the teaching profession in 1974 landing a job at the Kenya Bureau of Standards.
Raila continued his rise in the public service before he quit to join active politics while at the same time managing his engineering company gaining the experience he is ready to use to take the country forward in the 2022 General Election.
In his passionate message to his supporters, the ODM leader called on electorates to shun any acts of violence during the campaigns period.
He also extended the same message to his competitors urging them to preach the message of peace as they woo Kenyans.
The same message was echoed by Peter Kenneth who asked Kenyans to support Raila's bid insisting that he is the only leader with a transformative agenda.
Other leaders who attended the party included Jubilee Vice Chair David Murathe who reiterated that Raila is set to deliver another Nelson Mandela moment in the country.
Their message resonated with what President Kenyatta had delivered in his new year address urging Kenyans to elect leaders and not populists.
“Leadership is about vision; politics is about positions. Leadership is about the next generation; politics is about the next election. And our obsession with politics has only slowed down the realization of our potential as a people,” Uhuru stated.
He added, "Kenya must choose the bold path over the popular path. We must choose the critical few who are bold over the trivial majority who are not. And there are examples around the world where the bold triumphed over the popular."
