but this is one kingmaker who just cannot make himself king.
[SIZE=6]I made Duale MP, he was a nobody when I picked him, Raila tells Garissa
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[SIZE=4]Jakuon: [/SIZE]
[SIZE=4]“I personally picked up Duale and took him to one of the Sheikhs and a group of renown elders in Garissa Town, and prevailed upon them to support him for the Dujis constituency parliamentary seat," he said. Garissa Town was known as Dujis constituency at the time.
Raila told a public baraza in the county on Thursday that Duale went on to win the seat on an ODM ticket, and progressed to become what he is today.[/SIZE]
Duale:
But Duale told the Star by phone on Thursday: [B]"Picked me? From where? In 2007, it is I who delivered more than 10 MPs in North Eastern to ODM and heavily funded his [Raila’s] campaign.
“To the contrary, it is I who added value to Raila’s politics by giving him a national outlook; from a Luo leader to a national leader.”[/B]
Duale claimed Raila used all facilities, including accommodation, to enrich himself and that they had to part ways in 2010 because of fundamental ideological differences.
“We formed URP. He lost again to URP and Jubilee in 2013 when more than 15 MPs were elected on the party’s tickets,” he said.
[SIZE=6]I was not a nobody, gave campaign money, Duale tells Raila
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[SIZE=4]Respect for a very sharp Disqus analyst:
I worked in Garissa around the time Duale and Raila made political friendship. Honestly, Duale was NOT a “nobody”. Duale had started a hotel (Nomad Palace) in Garissa from humble beginning. Duale was also a known livestock trader, hence he frequented the coast. He would get his livestock fattened at ranches in Galana and Malindi. Raila used Duale’s Nomad Palace hotel, for free, regularly, to expand his politics into Dujis (then). Now, obviously when Duale won the Dujis seat he leveraged his political influence to nail more business deals. However, Nomad Palace hotel in Garissa grew organically from business. It was the best hotel in Garissa and the only one of its standard at the time. It was used by the District Commissioners, provincial government officials and all NGOs in Garissa-Dadaab-Wajir corridor. Duale is also right about funding Raila’s party. Raila is known to use aspirants’ resources to enrich his party and his political ambitions. He would never use his own resources. I know I could get trolled for this but it is absolute truth about the man’s style, and that’s why I usually think he’s more a political entrepreneur. Not sure he ever really wants to be president. I think even Miguna Miguna alluded to something like that.
Remember that phrase: ‘political entrepreneur’.[/SIZE]