East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Winnie Odinga addressing a delegation from Migori which had visited to honour the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga/SCREENGRAB Raila Odinga's daughter Winnie has shared a lighthearted childhood memory of being chased by a bull at her grandmother’s home in Stella, Migori county.
The EALA MP spoke on Thursday when her family hosted a delegation from Migori to honour the late former Prime Minister.
Speaking at the Opoda Farm family home in Bondo, Siaya county, Winnie recalled that her grandmother once kept a fierce bull named Basanga that had a particular dislike for children.
“That bull did not like children,” she told the guests with a laugh.
“One day I was home with my cousin, and we were walking from my uncle’s house to my grandmother’s when someone let Basanga free. It started coming for us.”
She added that while her cousin—whose father was Kalenjin—managed to outrun the bull, she took a different route in panic.
“My cousin ran very fast and made it to the house. For me, I got diverted down to the fence. When I finally made it back, she was eating mandazis and laughing at me,” Winnie recounted.
The moment of nostalgia came during a day filled with solemn reflection as groups from Central Kenya, Bungoma and Migori counties visited the Odinga family to express condolences and solidarity following the death of Raila.
Migori Governor Ochilo Ayacko led a 500-member delegation to Kang’o ka Jaramogi, where the late Pm was laid to rest beside his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
The delegation included members of the County Executive, County Assembly led by Speaker Chris Rusana, elders, religious leaders and representatives of youth and women’s groups drawn from all eight subcounties.
Ayacko said Migori residents were deeply mourning the loss of a leader who “stood for unity, justice, and development,” describing Raila as “a son of Migori as much as he was a son of Kenya.”
Separately, Agikuyu elders from Nakuru, Kiambu, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Meru and Nyeri counties also paid their respects at Kang’o ka Jaramogi, emphasising the importance of preserving the unity and understanding that Raila Odinga had built between the Luo and Central Kenya communities.
Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka led another delegation that included members of the Dini ya Musambwa religious movement, faith leader, and local residents.
Lusaka described Raila’s legacy as “transcending regions, religions and generations,” noting that his influence had united people across Kenya’s diverse social and political landscape.
The visits to Mama Ida Odinga and her family at Opoda Farm and Kang’o ka Jaramogi continue as leaders and citizens from across the country pay their final respects to the late leader.
