The late ODM leader Raila Odinga was not planning to contest for the presidency in 2027, his long-time legal advisor Paul Mwangi has revealed. 

Speaking in an interview with Citizen TV, Mwangi said all indications following the 2022 General Election pointed to a departure from Raila’s long-standing pattern of gearing up for another presidential bid.

“After the 2022 elections, he behaved in a way that suggested he would not run again in very many ways,” Mwangi said. “There were things you would expect him to do at a particular time and he would not do them. There were ways you would expect he would start speaking, he would not.”

Mwangi added that even in private engagements, Raila appeared to be stepping back from active presidential ambitions.

“Even in our discussions, there were patterns that would show you he was not factoring himself in the next contest as a candidate,” he explained.

He noted that Raila’s political tone had shifted significantly, especially in his interactions with William Ruto.

“If you check the kind of relationship he was building with President William Ruto and how they were talking, and his reactions to the things they were doing, you start to have the feeling he does not intend to start fighting this guy,” Mwangi said.

According to the lawyer, Raila’s behaviour contrasted sharply with his past political style, where he would begin early preparations for a presidential run.

“If he was running, he would start thinking about a name, a coalition name and start positioning himself with the masses,” Mwangi said. “By a time like this, in every of his political meeting, he would become quite rebellious and start pumping up the jam. He never did that and he started totally slowing down.”

Mwangi further observed that Raila had historically wasted little time in mobilising supporters after elections.

Asked when he would start showing signs to contest, Mwangi said Raila would show signs almost immediately after an election.

“In 2013, immediately after the election, within a year he had started Okoa Kenya. He never let his masses without something to do, he would always keep his supporters politically activated.”

Raila contested for the presidency a total of five times- in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2022-cementing his place as one of Kenya’s most enduring political figures.

His 2007 bid remains the most contentious in the country’s history, following a disputed outcome against Mwai Kibaki that triggered the 2007–2008 Kenyan post-election violence.

The crisis ultimately led to a power-sharing agreement that saw Raila serve as Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013.

Despite multiple attempts at the presidency, Raila remained a central figure in opposition politics for decades, often championing reforms and democratic governance.