Raila Odinga’s long-time aide Dennis Onyango has revealed that the
opposition leader appeared aware that his time was coming to an end nearly a
year before his death.
Onyango said Raila’s actions and conversations in his final year showed he
was preparing to wind up his life’s work and put his affairs in order.
“From a year earlier, I told people this man seems to know his time is up,”
Onyango said.
“I knew that Raila knew his time was up from the way we were talking and
from the instructions he was giving.”
He recalled accompanying Raila to Germany in February 2024, where the former
Prime Minister revisited his old schools.
“During the entire tour, he kept asking if I had carried my notebook, just
to make sure we got the facts right. I could see this guy wanted to tie loose
ends,” the Raila Odinga Secretariat spokesperson said.
According to Onyango, who spoke to KMB Media, Raila was keen to clarify
details about his education, particularly in areas where the public record was
unclear.
By September, Onyango said, Raila was discussing plans to support projects
at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology.
“He told me some of his friends wanted to establish a department on Mining
and Extractive Industry. I suggested they could also set up a Raila Odinga
School of Government. But he told me categorically, ‘Those things you do
posthumous — when I’m gone’,” Onyango said.
When asked whether he planned to build his own mausoleum, Raila reportedly
declined.
“He said, ‘No, we all belong to the Jaramogi Museum. It’s a family museum.
They have given me a corner. I will stay there,’” Onyango recounted.
Raila also spoke about starting the Raila Odinga Foundation and meeting his
elder brother, Oburu Odinga, and Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o to streamline
its operations.
“These are things he was supposed to do when he returned from India,”
Onyango said.
He described Raila, 80, as strong and energetic but increasingly affected by
age-related health issues.
“People talk as if he was not old,” Onyango said.
“He had back pain, knee pain, and other issues. Doctors told him to rest for
three weeks, but he couldn’t stay home for even three days. He would say he was
fine and hit the road again.”
Onyango said he was among those who urged Raila to take time off and travel
abroad to rest.
“Politicians wanted him everywhere. I am one of the people who pushed him to
get out of the country and go rest somewhere.”
