A key ally-turned-foe of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said on Monday he plans to run in elections due in 2007, weakening Kibaki's chances of a second term at the helm of east Africa's biggest economy.
Dubbed "kingmaker" by local media, Raila Odinga is widely credited with orchestrating Kibaki's 2002 poll win that ended almost four decades of Kenya National African Union (KANU) party rule.
But the two fell out when Odinga campaigned against a new constitution to replace the existing one penned on the eve of independence in 1963, frustrating Kibaki's efforts to see the document accepted in a November referendum.
Weeks after Kibaki's humiliating referendum defeat, Odinga was sacked as roads and public works minister and his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) colleagues were also dismissed from the coalition cabinet.
"After lengthy deliberations I decided to say ... I will vie for the presidency," Odinga told Reuters, adding that the move would depend on his nomination by the LDP.
"I have no doubt in my mind that the people have confidence in my candidature. If I have the opportunity I will get the votes that are required (to become president)," he said in the telephone interview.
Many saw Odinga's campaign against the constitution as payback to Kibaki, who reneged on power-sharing deals he made in exchange for the critical votes Odinga brought him in 2002.
Since being swept to power in a landslide victory, Kibaki's popularity has diminished amid a growing list of broken promises - to stamp out corruption, create 500,000 jobs a year and deliver a new constitution within 100 days of taking office.
Kibaki suffered another blow when forced to declare a famine facing the arid north a national disaster in a New Year's message. But he is still widely expected to run for re-election.
"There's a lot that has gone wrong basically because of lack of commitment. Kibaki has let people down," Odinga said.
"People should not be dying of hunger. We should never reach the stage where we are appealing to donors for relief food. We should be able to provide for our people."
Kibaki's trouncing in the referendum and subsequent cabinet reshuffle to include old loyalists, have galvanised opposition parties and brought a barrage of calls for a snap election.
However, Odinga said an early vote was not a priority.
"We're not preoccupied with having these elections in 2006, we're ready to wait for the remaining months," he said.
By throwing down the gauntlet, the charismatic Odinga will pit his support among slum dwellers in the capital Nairobi and his western Luo tribe, against longstanding Kikuyu rivals from Kibaki's tribe - the biggest among Kenya's 32 million people.
Born in the western province of Nyanza, the trained engineer is the son of nationalist hero Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, a leading figure in the independence movement.
Any presidential race would test Odinga's ability to unite Kenya's more than 40 ethnic groups and widen his appeal among voters suspicious of his habit of swapping political parties.
He would also have to strike a deal with KANU leader Uhuru Kenyatta and other opposition leaders over who will be the presidential candidate: "Yes, there'll be a deal," Odinga said. "I'm sure there's a role for everyone."
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