Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga has strongly criticised Kenyan youths, accusing them of hypocrisy over their sudden outpouring of love for her late brother, Raila Odinga. Speaking on Saturday afternoon at Raila’s Opoda Farm in Bondo, Siaya County, Ruth said many young people had mocked and wished the former Prime Minister dead while he was still alive, only to express admiration for him after his death.
“I want to say something you, as the Gen Zs, you are the same people who wished Raila death when he was alive, and now you are telling me about the outpouring of love. He died knowing that you preferred him dead,” Ruth stated emotionally.
She added that Raila had always wished the best for the youth, especially during the height of the recent youth-led protests, but regretted that some had turned their frustrations toward him.
“For those who said those things when he was still alive, it was wrong. He wished you could have expressed love for him when he was alive,” she added.
Ruth also shared emotional details about Raila’s final moments, revealing that she was by his side when the machines keeping him alive were turned off. “When I laid him down and stopped the machines, I said Kenya had lost,” she recalled tearfully.
She emphasised that Raila’s passing was not just a family tragedy but a national loss, given his lifelong contribution to democracy and freedom in Kenya.
Ruth further reflected on past disagreements with her brother over turning their Bondo home into a museum in honour of their father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. “I was against the idea at first,” she said, “but later agreed. Now that Raila is buried there, our family’s legacy will live on forever.”
The Opoda Farm, now home to Raila’s resting place, stands as a powerful symbol of the Odinga family’s political and historical legacy in Kenya.
