By Dawan Africa - Admin
Kenya, 17 October 2026 - The first anniversary of the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was a study in the complexity of Kenya’s political landscape.
Raila’s widow, Ida Betty Odinga, who is also Kenya’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the wider Jaramogi Oginga Odinga family and the organising committee invited guests and politicians from across the political divide.
Politics played out on Thursday at Migwena Grounds, where chants of “two-term” and “one-term” rose and fell depending on which leader, and which faction, was speaking.
Host Governor James Orengo welcomed the Linda Mwananchi leaders to address the gathering after speakers from the government-leaning side had made their remarks.
The faction nearly carried the day, with its supporters chanting “one-term” for President William Ruto.
Orengo, who introduced the Linda Mwananchi leaders, later claimed that his security detail had been withdrawn yet again, for the umpteenth time.
Mama Ida on the other hand has come under attack, with an accusing finger pointed to her and the larger Jaramogi Oginga Odinga family for allegedly leaving out President Ruto, ODM Chairperson Gladys Wanga and Suna East MP Junet Mohamed who eventially missed the anniversary main event at Migwena Grounds.
The Mwananchi Party (TMP) leader Babu Owino, who has declared interest in the Nairobi gubernatorial seat, gave a measured speech and honoured Raila as their anchor of direction during political storms.
He likened Raila to a tree.
“Whenever the sun was very hot, we took shelter there, and whenever we were sick, we got medication from that tree, and whenever we were hungry, we plucked fruits to eat,” he said.
People’s Liberation Party (PLP) leader Martha Karua said Raila strongly desired a nation led democratically and a Kenya united.
Presidential hopeful Edwin Sifuna, who is rebranding The Equitable Party (TEP) as the Linda Mwananchi Movement, said he was grateful, alongside the other leaders he had worked closely with, to have passed through Raila’s hands.
He thanked the people of Siaya and everyone who stood with him when he served as ODM Secretary General.
Raila, he said, taught him that leadership is not about forcing yourself on people but about talking to them respectfully. He chided leaders he said were only interested in imposing themselves on the public.
Earlier, ODM Deputy Party Leader and Kisii Governor Simba Arati, who also read Dr Oburu Oginga’s speech, said he believed Raila had won the 2013 and 2017 presidential elections but that Uhuru Kenyatta was sworn in by force.
Overall, the day was a mixture of “Tutam” and “Wantam” politics.
Few names in Kenyan politics have stirred as much passion, controversy, hope and hostility as Raila Amolo Odinga.
To some he was a liberator, to others a political enigma, and to nearly everyone he was impossible to ignore. He was more than a politician.
He was a phenomenon whose name could electrify a rally, divide a family, ignite a national debate and reshape the political conversation. Why was he so deeply loved by some and so fiercely opposed by others?
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To his supporters, Raila embodied resilience. His years of struggle, his detention during the one-party era and his role in the fight for multiparty democracy earned him the admiration of Kenyans who believed the country needed a fearless voice against concentrated power.
His following was not merely large but, in some circles, almost fanatical. To his admirers he was Baba, a symbol of hope, resistance and the promise of a more just Kenya.
In certain political circles his word carried the weight of law. When he spoke, thousands listened, and his most devoted followers trusted his political judgment with a loyalty few Kenyan leaders have commanded. He did not simply attract crowds. He inspired belief.
His determination to pursue the presidency despite repeated electoral defeats became central to his identity, and it produced what might be called the Raila paradox.
His admirers saw courage, endurance and an unfinished democratic struggle, while his critics saw an ambition that refused to yield. The same persistence that made him a hero to some became a source of frustration to others.
His career was also marked by dramatic alliances, bitter disagreements and unexpected reconciliations.
His cooperation with former rivals, including Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto, showed his capacity to negotiate across political divides. His defenders called this maturity and pragmatism.
Some critics said it raised hard questions about consistency and about the expectations he had cultivated among his supporters. When a politician builds a movement around resistance, what happens when he reaches an accommodation with the establishment he once challenged? That question followed him throughout his career and tested even some of his admirers.
His ability to mobilise the masses divided opinion in the same way. His supporters saw demonstrations as legitimate tools for demanding accountability, electoral justice and institutional reform.
His opponents associated some protests with disruption, insecurity and economic losses. The same rally could be democratic courage to one Kenyan and dangerous confrontation to another, and beneath that disagreement lay a deeper question about where Kenya should draw the line between political resistance and public stability.
Raila’s legacy cannot be reduced to the praise of his supporters or the criticism of his opponents.
His role in the struggle for multiparty democracy, his contribution to constitutional reform, his negotiations and his repeated presidential campaigns deserve examination on their own merits, and his critics are equally entitled to scrutinise his decisions, alliances and promises.
Kenya must resist the temptation to turn politicians into saints or villains. Democracy demands something harder: recognising achievements without ignoring shortcomings, and questioning leaders without erasing their contributions.
That leaves the country with an enduring question. How does a politician become so powerful in the hearts and minds of his followers that his words shape their beliefs, his decisions redirect their loyalties, and his political journey becomes inseparable from their own hopes and disappointments?
The host Governor stated that indeed Raila was an institution on his own.
Explainer: The Anniversary of the Man Kenya Loved, Fought and Never Fully Understood
A year after his death, Raila Odinga still divides Kenya’s politics, loyalties and memory.