Raila Was Not Eyeing 2027 Presidency - Raila's Lawyer

Raila Odinga’s lawyer, Paul Mwangi

Raila Odinga’s lawyer, Paul Mwangi, has revealed that the late former Prime Minister never wanted to compete against President Ruto in 2027.

Speaking in an interview on March 29, 2026, Mwangi explained that after the 2022 general elections, Raila’s behavior suggested a departure from his usual post-election patterns.

“After the last election, he behaved in a way that suggested he would not run again. In very many ways, there are things you could expect him to do at a particular time, and he’s not doing them,” Mwangi noted.

According to Mwangi, the absence of Raila’s typical political mobilisation and strategic positioning after the election was a clear indication that he was not preparing for another presidential bid.

Raila Odinga joined Ruto’s government after the Gen Z protest on June 24th, 2024, for the sake of national stability.

According to the lawyer, Raila would always begin laying the groundwork for the next election, such as exploring coalition partnerships earlier. However, this time, he focused on building his relationship with President Ruto.

“And even in terms of interaction, Raila could be a very emotional person, and therefore, he is not the kind of person who gets very close to you and then fights you tomorrow.

“So if you now check the kind of relationship he was already building with President Ruto and how they were talking and his own reactions to the things they were doing, you start having the feeling he does not intend to fight this guy, but he would not be opening himself up to him that way.”

Mwangi added that Raila never abandoned his supporters, in contrast to past elections.

He would constantly look for ways to maintain their political interest.