The throng that came to mourn the death of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga at his residence in Nairobi today used words like “a king,” “a hero,” “Nelson Mandela,” and “Jesus Christ.”
Fans of “Baba” (father) don’t care that he lost the presidency five times. What matters is that he fought for democracy and was a champion of his Luo tribe, which made him a powerful figure in Kenyan politics for decades, according to AFP.
Hundreds of his fans went to his home in the upscale neighborhood of Karen just hours after he died at the age of 80 at an Indian wellness retreat.
A lot of people couldn’t be comforted. One man tried to get in on his knees while women cried “Baba” over and over again.
“We need him.” “Nobody can fill the hole he left,” said Johnson Omongi, 25, after walking three hours to get to the house.
“Raila gave us democracy. He went through a lot to help us. He was like Jesus Christ to us, he said.
Odinga’s followers never forget that he spent eight years in prison under the autocratic President Daniel arap Moi, from 1982 to 1991.
He also supported the 2010 constitution, which made Kenya’s democracy more contemporary.
“He’s my hero.” Ismael Ondego, 42, who was carrying two of Odinga’s signs that proclaimed “One Love,” said, “This guy has fought for Kenya for as long as I can remember.”
“My hero”
In 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022, Odinga lost elections, but many people saw him as a symbol of democratic opposition.
Some others said he was stirring up trouble and called him opportunistic for making deals with former adversaries, such current president William Ruto, which left the country without a strong opposition.
But his supporters think it’s the work of a peaceful man.
Ondego observed, “He was brave enough to shake the hands of the presidents who had stolen his victories.”
“I wanted to see him take us past Ruto.” We have lost our future because he died.
Many of the people inside the house were visibly poor, and their worn-out clothes were a dramatic contrast to the leader’s huge estate in Karen, one of the capital’s most fashionable neighborhoods.
Some people tried to break in, shouting “This house is not yours” at those who tried to stop them so they could get to the shade of the trees.
Others plucked a dozen avocados while hopping on a trampoline.
A smiling Odinga assistant, who didn’t want to give her name, said, “They are enjoying the fruits of our leader.”
She sat in a plastic chair in the yard of her “king,” as she called it.
“He is my father, my hero, and my boss.” “She responded, “I lived for him.”
“He said we were his kids. “A hero has died.”
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