Why did Raila Odinga oppose Uhuru Kenyatta’s nomination as KANU’s presidential candidate in 2002?

Raila Odinga opposed the nomination of Uhuru Kenyatta as the Kenya African National Union (KANU) presidential candidate in 2002 primarily because he had his own aspirations to succeed President Daniel arap Moi as the party's candidate.1

When Moi bypassed Odinga and endorsed Kenyatta, Odinga and other dissatisfied KANU members formed the "Rainbow Alliance" to protest the decision. They advocated for a democratic vote among party members to determine the presidential nominee rather than having a candidate handpicked by the outgoing president. After their demands for a fair selection process were ignored and Kenyatta was officially named the candidate, Odinga and his allies left KANU to form the Liberal Democratic Party, eventually joining the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) to challenge KANU in the general election.1