Raila Odinga Junior, son of the late ODM leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, made a powerful symbolic statement during the public viewing of his father’s body at Parliament Buildings. Clad in Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s iconic hat and holding his father’s signature fly whisk, he embodied both grief and continuity a gesture steeped in political and cultural meaning.
During his tribute at the State Funeral Service held on October 17, 2025, at Nyayo National Stadium, Raila Junior expressed readiness to uphold his father’s legacy and shoulder greater responsibility within the family and beyond.
“I am very alive to the fact that with my brother Fidel gone, I remain the gentleman of the family. Dad, I want to assure you that I will take care of our family Mum, Rosie, Winnie, and the larger political family. Thank you for the gift of life, for giving me your name, and for never heaping the weight of it on me,” he said, adding in Swahili, “Nakuhakikishia kwamba nitatunza familia yetu … Asante kwa kunipa jina lako bila kunitwika jukumu la hilo jina.”
The symbolism behind his attire and actions was unmistakable. The fly whisk, or orengo in Luo, long associated with Raila Odinga’s public life, represented authority, unity, and connection to the people a trademark of his charisma on the political stage. The hat once worn by Jaramogi, Kenya’s first Vice President and the Odinga family patriarch, carried the weight of a generational political legacy rooted in resistance and reform.
Raila Odinga’s journey through Kenya’s political landscape spanned more than four decades from his tenure as Prime Minister (2008–2013) to leading multiple opposition movements and contesting five presidential elections. Though he never held the presidency, his steadfast pursuit of democracy, social justice, and national unity cemented his place as one of Kenya’s most influential political figures.
On Saturday, October 18, 2025, Raila’s body will be transported to Kisumu, his political heartland, before proceeding to Bondo, Siaya County, for his final burial a fitting farewell to a man whose presence defined Kenya’s democratic struggle.
