ODM leader Raila Odinga and the author at a past meeting /FILE
I am deeply saddened and mourn the loss of a great leader, icon and patriot of our great country Kenya. I have been stuck thinking, is it real?
Coming to terms with the passing on of Rt Honourable Raila Odinga, a great man whom I was privileged to know personally and to be mentored by. The first man that I voted for as president way back in 2007.
A man whom God used to get me into the mainstream of our Kenyan politics.
A man with whom I shared deep thoughts about this great country and its great future. We would debate political ideologies, the challenges in running our country and the competing priorities within a dynamic global arena.
A man that I was privileged to serve as a National Executive Council member of his party ODM, an adviser when he was the Prime Minister, a Member of Parliament in the 11th Parliament, a man who was there right with me when I got married and started a family in 2015.
I became a defender of his cause, to the extent of being nicknamed ‘Mtetezi wa Baba’ on Radio Jambo, a station under the Radio Africa Group.
Raila had many feathers in his cap, and he influenced the lives of almost every Kenyan, since for the last six elections, he was either a frontrunner candidate, or a major player in our political equation. No other personality has occupied the national psyche as powerfully as he, having teamed up with four presidents to form government, while also remaining to the foremost doyen of opposition politics.
He will be remembered as a great nationalist and patriot, a democrat, a defender of social justice, a pan-Africanist, a footballer, storyteller, great mobiliser, both a doyen of opposition politics and yet a master in coalition-building, a great debater, orator, a visionary and statesman.
Raila was man who became a legend; when institutions such as the Raila Odinga Stadium are named after you, you transcend self to become a body of knowledge and way of doing politics. Recently on Madaraka Day, we were in Homa Bay Stadium at the main dais of the newly constructed stadium. It was surreal for me as I looked at both Raila and Mama Ida Odinga inside their ‘own’ stadium. Raila was inside Raila Odinga stadium.
He was known by many names such as Jakom (chairman), Tinga, due to his indefatigable energy symbolised by his 1997 election symbol of a tractor and his 2007 symbol of a hammer. He was a very energetic man, and even at age 68 when he ran for president, and it was widely believed that he was going to win, he had unmatched energy compared to many people decades younger. Raila was a great thought leader and he lived up to his ideals of centre-left politics, believing in both social and economic justice for hoi polloi. He stood in solidarity with those in distress as a champion for the voiceless.
He was fondly known as mtetezi wa wanyonge. He would be the first to show solidarity with those affected by calamities such fire outbreaks and other disasters. He is credited with introducing multipartyism, as one of the young turks to whom I looked up when I was a teenager. A master coalition-builder, he has always put the interests of the nation first in times of national crises. This is what he did recently when he joined hands with President William Ruto to form the broad-based government that has the face Kenya.
Raila has mentored many a politicians, both young and old from across the length and breadth of our Republic, including yours truly. He isn’t only known in Kenya but across Africa and the world. He was celebrated by the wider Luo nation straddling Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Eastern Congo, Ethiopia and South Sudan, as epitomised by the Piny Luo festival held in Migwena, Siaya county, at the beginning of this year. He is considered the patron of devolution that has transformed the Kenyan landscape, by ensuring equitable distribution of resources and therefore development, in this great country Kenya.
Baba was a statesman, fearless leader and steadfast champion of democracy, justice, and unity in Kenya. He knew how to assemble a team of rivals, as when he put together the opposition uniting under the Kibaki Tosha declaration at Uhuru Park, catapulting Mwai Kibaki to the presidency. He did a similar unifying act in 2007, by forming the Pentagon comprised of his erstwhile competitors for the presidential ticket within the Orange Democratic Movement.
His voice, vision and courage have left an indelible mark on the history of our nation. For decades, he dedicated his life to the service of the people of Kenya, always standing for what he believed was right and inspiring millions with his unwavering commitment to a better and more just country.
My deepest sympathies to family, friends, and supporters during this profoundly difficult time, and may we find strength in the legacy he leaves behind and comfort in the knowledge that his impact will be felt for generations.
I cannot mourn Baba enough, joining millions of grieving people across the globe.
May his soul rest in eternal peace.
