Kenya and the African continent are in mourning following the death of former Prime Minister Raila Amollo Odinga, 80, who passed away on Wednesday in India after suffering a heart attack.
The news of the political titan’s death in Kochi, India, where he was undergoing treatment, has sent shockwaves across the nation, with President William Ruto declaring seven days of national mourning and announcing that Mr. Odinga will be accorded a state funeral with full honours.
As tributes pour in from world leaders and political allies, the Kiambu County branch of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, which Mr. Odinga led, expressed profound sorrow at the loss of their leader, often affectionately referred to as “Baba” (father).
Jimmy Komu, the ODM Kiambu County Deputy Chairman, extended condolences to the Odinga family and party members, describing the late former premier as an “astute leader who accommodated everybody” and emphatically stating that he “deserves to be accorded a state funeral.”
“We are saddened by the death of our party leader. We never imagined that he will leave us so soon. We as a branch we are in mourning and we will also be holding our mourning session,” Komu said.
The deputy chairman called for calm across the party ranks, urging members to “not indulge in casting aspersions as to what happened” but instead to “focus and reflect on good times that Raila had for the country and Africa.”
“We have left everything to God. We urge the government to conduct the country mourning period well. We ask our members to stay calm and not start chaos,” he pleaded, reflecting the national anxiety surrounding the demise of a figure whose political journey was often intertwined with periods of national tension.
Komu also highlighted Mr. Odinga’s push for constitutional fidelity, noting his belief that the constitution should be respected, but if amendments were necessary, all parties should be incorporated.
Lawyer Ndiba Kihara, the ODM Kiambu County Organizing Secretary, added his voice to the tributes, stating that Kenya and Africa had lost a “statesman and a person of great political and social character and will be missed.”
“I am still in shock as Raila is a person who had helped our family and also build a house for my brother the late Peter Young whom they struggled together during the second liberation of the country. I miss him already,” Ndiba shared emotionally.
He lauded Mr. Odinga as a “champion of many agendas in the country, including devolution, which has brought services closer to the people.”
Mr. Kihara further commended the former Prime Minister for his role in fostering national unity, noting that “since Raila joined hands with President Ruto the country has maintained calmness and protests has seized.” He termed Mr. Odinga a “revolutionalist and a person who has helped this country in great immense.”
Echoing his colleague, Mr. Kihara stressed that Mr. Odinga’s influence transcended national borders, asserting that he was “not only loved in the country but also in the world and deserves to be given a befitting send-off.”
“Raila deserves a state funeral as he is no ordinary man,” he stated, while also calling for political tolerance and the maintenance of peace during the mourning period.
Mr. Odinga, a former MP and five-time presidential candidate, leaves behind an indelible legacy as a fearless pro-democracy fighter whose decades-long activism shaped Kenya’s multiparty political landscape and secured his place as one of the country’s most influential figures.
