Without Agwambo, it's just not worth it.

Kenyans really should sympathise with Raila Odinga, the most indefatigable Oppositionist in Kenya's history. Without his presence and his signature style, both Uhuru Kenyatta's Jubilee and CORD are adrift with no direction. If you take a look at the three months that Agwambo has been in Boston you will notice that CORD has all but fallen apart and the TNA wing of the Jubilee bandwagon has lost its mind looking for Agwambo-related conspiracies to peddle to its semi-literate base.

The CORD state of affairs would be funny if it wasn't so tragic. With increasing franticness, its members have manufactured crises and conspiracies; they have shrilly taken on Jubilee on the occasion of its one year in office; they have listed every broken Jubilee promise; they have counted every act of terrorism as an act of failure by Uhuru Kenyatta's government. They have done all this and more without offering an alternative, a plan or even fresh ideas other than "regime change."

Among its stalwarts are Peter Anyang' Nyong'o, James Orengo, Moses Wetangula, Amos Wako and Kalonzo Musyoka. Between these five there is at least a century of public service and politics experience. The scheming, conniving and deal-making that goes into a politician's life is writ large in the lives of these men. Yet, for all their experience, they come across as befuddled old men without a clue on how to operate a shiny new plasticky toy, like an iPad or iPhone. You watch their theatrics at political rallies and you hang your head in despair at the spectacular lack of spark in their pronouncements or ideas. They might as well be effigies; the people wouldn't notice.

Things are much, much worse on the Jubilee side. With the prolonged absence of Agwambo, they have looked for enemies from among their ranks. Those looking to witch-hunt Ann Waiguru did not have their favourite punching bag around; in Agwambo's absence they had to find other enemies to fight in order for their names to be in the papers and on the airwaves. Look at the senate; without Raila Odinga to offer Jubilee a made-for-politics target, they have turned heir attentions to Governors without much success of even effectiveness. The National assembly has run out of debatable ideas that it has resorted to debating whether or not Raila Odinga should give lectures at American universities.

We must, therefore, sympathise with Agwambo. He is the glue that holds Kenya's politics, and politicians, together. Without him, even the National Executive knows not what to do hence the jet-setting and foreign junkets. It is Agwambo who sets the tone of the political debate, who defines it and whose contribution makes it all worthwhile. Jubilee fears him, but they wouldn't be here without him. CORD want him to retire, but not one of its members will be the first to suggest that Agwambo is over the hill. Love him or hate him, Raila Amolo Odinga is Kenyan politics.