Nairobi — For Lang'ata MP Mr Raila Odinga, it was one weekend and six rallies - another signal it is all systems go and that he intends to be at the finishing line in December.

"When you set on a journey, you do it with the intention of finishing, otherwise there is no need starting in the first place. That is why I am not taking any half measure," he told The Sunday Standard last week. He added: "You must have proper logistics, especially if it is a long distance journey. You can't enter a race with a plan to stop at the heats. You go hoping to get to the finals. I am confident I will get to the finals. I am confident that the people will make the right decision."

ODM-Kenya presidential aspirant, Mr Raila Odinga, receives a traditional leader's baton from the party chairman, Mr Henry Kosgey . Raila was campaigning in Bomet on Saturday. Picture by Lucas Thuo

He spoke as the party's committee on Constitution, Election and Nomination Rules prepares for Monday's meeting.

Hitting the road dogged by the aftertaste of the Wednesday's breakfast meeting with Eldoret North MP Mr William Ruto and Mwingi North MP Mr Kalonzo Musyoka, Raila talked about the things he believes will make him the next President.

Capacity to work up crowds

Among them being the energy he exhibits, the capacity to hold many rallies and strategy meetings. Secondly, and his most prized, the excitement his arrival at rallies triggers, the capacity to work up crowds. Then the most memorable: "I said Kibaki 'Tosha' (he is fit) and he won."

That he is one of the most influential politicians in modern-day Kenya, even if like in 1997 and 2002 he won't win, is undoubtable.

He also appears to have deep pockets, and his local and overseas travels smack of well-oiled campaign wheels. Ask and he refers you to his friends and those of the party.

He is also packaging himself as an experienced politician, ahead of those he is set against. Some of the experiences he is banking on are:

Close links to the Social Democratic Party of Germany and the Democratic Party of the US.

Good working relationship and talking terms with the Barrack Obama and Edward Kennedy campaign teams.

Lessons learned as the deputy director of elections for Ford-Kenya in the 1992, one of the most turbulent political seasons in Kenya.

Lessons learnt as an accredited observer in Mexico's election, which ended Institutional Revolutionary Party's 71-year PRI rule in 2000.

Willingness to sacrifice his ambitions

Ties and lessons learned by taking part in Nigeria's 2003 and 2007 elections.

Participation in US Democratic Conventions since 1996.

Association with the United Kingdom's Labour Party and the Green Party of Germany.

His martyr image, having served nine years in detention but ending up as one of the most prominent faces of the 'second liberation'.

The fact that apart from Mr Uhuru Kenyatta, who is not yet 'fully' in ODM, he is the only one who has been in the Presidential race.

His 'willingness' to sacrifice his ambitions to pave way for a bigger gain by the side he supports.

He points out to the merger of his party with Kanu, and last-minute support for Kibaki in 2002.

At the breakfast table was a 'winning' formula he crafted with Ruto: He for President, Ruto for PM and Kalonzo for VP. At the rallies, his message was he would not give up.

At the horizon is the promise of victory in the ODM ticket race, and the Steadman Poll, which put him on top of the pack, seemed just to say that.

However, he needs a team and this is one election that won't be a one-man show. He will also have to battle perceptions of being a party hopper, ever the schemer, and overly abrasive.

Raila says he is raring to go

With three successive polls putting him ahead of his rivals in Orange, Raila says he is putting everything into the battle for the presidential ticket. That is why on Friday he was in Narok, hosted by Mr William Ntimama. He was in Bomet on Saturday and will be in Transmara on Sunday. Kisii will be his next stopover on Monday.

The Lang'ata MP said his rallies - and the collective ones in Nakuru and Mombasa, along with other activities by colleagues - will culminate in major joint rallies in Garissa and Bungoma next week.

Despite nomination problems and a standoff in the party that has seen interim officials decline to hand over to the elected officials, Raila says he is raring to go.

He is said to be preparing to unveil another campaign next month that is billed to be stronger than his 'fiesta' in May.

"I don't think anyone has the capacity to refuse to release the party's documents. To me, the party is the people, not the certificate. What the people want is what they get. The voice of the people is the voice of God. I am not worried about these amateurish behaviours," he said.

Discord in Monday's election meeting

There appear to be discord in Monday's election meeting. Lawyer Donald B Kipkorir, who is Kalonzo's election team member, said the meeting would discuss whether ODM-Kenya is a party or a coalition.

"I am a key member of ODM's Constitution and Nomination Rules Committee. With the authority of my appointing luminary, I want to state that the issue of ODM-Kenya character of membership is the only agenda of our committee meeting scheduled for Monday," Kipkorir said.

But the chairman of the committee, Emuhaya MP Mr Kenneth Marende, said it has already completed work on membership.

"Our meeting tomorrow is to come up with a draft document on how member parties will relate. The proposal is that constituent parties will cede their nominating powers to ODM. The issue of membership was concluded at a meeting Kipkorir did not attend," Marende said.

Raila on the other hand said he is tapping into his experiences with elective and party politics, which go beyond Kenya. He hopes this will give him an edge over his opponents.

Raila said running the Ford-Kenya elections alongside Mr Waruru Kanja, who was also campaigning for a parliamentary seat, was "an eye opener."

"Since Mr Kanja was also campaigning for the Nyeri seat, he delegated a lot to me, as I was based in Nairobi. It was an experience I earned as an independent observer."

"It is in Mexico where I got the idea of counting the votes at the polling station. Counting at the polling station is what brought down PRI in Mexico after 71 years. I brought the idea here, and it is what brought Kanu down in 2002," Raila said.

Preparing for the big fight

"These things don't count for nothing for me. I was in Nigeria's 2003 and 2007 elections. I have participated in US Democratic Conventions since 1996 and I have been close to UK's Labour Party. I have a lot of experience with election politics. I know what elections mean," Raila said.

Raila is preparing for the big fight, despite claims by his opponents that if he becomes the ODM-Kenya flag bearer, President Kibaki would easily win the coming poll.

The MP said insinuations that President Kibaki would easily beat him "flies against reality."

"Politics is about measurable support, not cold statistics. They say so-and-so will beat Raila because Raila comes from this community. That means personal ability does not count. It means any Mr Wafula or Mr Kalembe can beat me just because they are from Western or Eastern. It goes against reality on the ground."

The MP declined to name whom among his opponents told him he is 'unelectable' because of cultural roots. But he maintained: "They are still saying it despite clear signs that Kenyans think differently."

The latest opinion polls put Raila at 14 percentage points ahead of Kalonzo, his closest rival in ODM.

The Lang'ata MP said he is not relying so much on polls, but he believes he is ahead of his rivals.

"When I said this was not going to be a beauty contest, some people thought I was deriding my opponents. What I meant was that at that time, there was nothing against which the aspirants were being measured. Nobody had put anything on the table. We had not begun campaigns. Now we all have, and voters have something to measure us against," Raila said.

It is suicidal to underrate the incumbent

The Lang'ata MP said his concern is not about the figures within ODM, but President Kibaki's score in the polls.

Still, he maintained that although the polls put President Kibaki ahead, there are signs that ODM can beat him.

"ODM-Kenya needs to take notice of President Kibaki's performance and deal with it. I am concerned about ODM aspirants' collective rating. President Kibaki is where he is because he is running alone. He is not very far from the Banana performance in the referendum, just a few points below it. The number of people who don't approve of his leadership gives us hope that he is 'beatable'," Raila said.

But again, part of the experience the MP is counting on is his own 1997 presidential race in which he came third, after former President Moi and Kibaki, then of the Democratic Party. That experience, he says, also taught him lessons he wants ODM to take seriously.

"President Kibaki and I learnt in 1997 that it is suicidal to underrate the incumbent. The incumbent has big advantage over opponents. They have access to resources. Rigging is also a tool available to incumbents," he said.

There is a feeling that he is crafting a team

He went back to the Rift Valley against the backdrop of complaints by some MPs in the region his rallies were campaign platform for their opponents at the constituent level. On Saturday, Raila said the 'misunderstanding' had been resolved.

"I have taken note of their concern. I also appreciate that they may not be available when I visit their constituencies. But we also resolved that we work together, both aspirants and the incumbent."

Within the party, there is a feeling that the Lang'ata MP is crafting a team, after reconciling with Ruto, and he is wooing more into his team, including Health minister Mrs Charity Ngilu.

Last week, Raila was at the Health minister's home in Kitui for a commemoration of her husband. During the ceremony, he invited Ngilu to the party.

Raila denied there is a private arrangement he has with Ngilu, but maintained he would be happy to have her in ODM.

"There is nothing I said to Ngilu that I have not told her before. I told Charity last year that she is keeping the wrong company in the wrong Government."

"Ngilu has reform credentials and has no business dealing with people who have no compunction describing themselves as snakes. But politics is also about numbers. The more the merrier. If Ngilu comes, she will not be replacing anyone. She will just be one of the millions of party supporters," he added.

Editors Note: Next week we shall look at what another of the ODM leaders is clutching to in the fight for the ticket to State House.