It was a sombre mood at Raila Odinga’s home as Winnie Odinga knelt before her mother, Ida Odinga, her voice cracking with raw emotion.
”I’ve failed you, Mom,” she whispered, pressing her father’s signature wide-brimmed hat into Ida’s trembling hands.
The scene unfolded today as Raila Odinga’s body arrived home from India, where the 80-year-old lion of Kenyan politics succumbed to a sudden cardiac arrest during a morning walk.
Winnie, Raila’s youngest daughter, had promised her ailing father she’d stand by his side through the final campaign.
But Baba’s death robbed her of that vow, leaving her bowed in grief amid a sea of mourners.
Thousands lined the streets, waving palm fronds and chanting “Baba! Baba!” as the cortege snaked toward the family home in Karen.
President William Ruto, once a fierce rival, joined the procession, declaring seven days of national mourning and hailing Odinga as the “father of our democracy.”
Ida, 78, the rock who’d endured arrests, exiles, and election battles alongside her husband of 53 years, clutched the hat like a lifeline.
The handover symbolized more than loss – it was a torch passed in a nation still reeling.
Winnie’s apology echoes the quiet strength of women who’ve held Kenya’s political storms at bay.
Raila, who fought five presidential bids and co-authored Kenya’s 2010 constitution, leaves a void in the opposition ahead of the 2027 polls.
