Inside the VVIP offices of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), an emotional moment quietly unfolded. Winnie Odinga, the youngest daughter of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Mama Ida Odinga, gently handed over her father’s iconic white fedora hat to her mother a gesture that spoke volumes of love, loss, and legacy.
Clad in jungle-green pants, a white shirt, and a matching half coat, Winnie knelt before her mother, head bowed in grief and respect. Across from her, Mama Ida, dressed in a black skirt suit, white blouse, and striped scarf, received the treasured hat with grace and composure, though her sorrow was unmistakable.
A photograph shared by State House captured the two women locking eyes a silent exchange filled with emotion, a poignant reflection of both personal and national mourning.
Earlier, Winnie had stepped off the plane from India carrying the white fedora the hat that for decades had crowned Raila’s public image. In Mumbai, a haunting image of the same hat resting on a beige airport lounge seat had gone viral, stirring deep emotion among Kenyans.
For many, that hat symbolized Raila himself: calm yet determined, humble yet dignified. By personally bringing it home and handing it to her mother, Winnie transformed the fedora from a mere fashion accessory into a powerful emblem of continuity a bridge between memory and legacy.
The moment at JKIA captured not just a family’s private grief, but also a nation’s collective sense of loss. For years, Raila’s white fedora was inseparable from his public persona. On this day, it became a final tribute to a man whose life, like his hat, will forever be remembered in Kenya’s history.
Raila Odinga passed away on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, aged 80
