This man Raila Amollo Odinga

Love him or hate him, Raila Amollo Odinga was a man whose story ran alongside the heartbeat of Kenya’s democracy.

Born in January 1945 to the country’s first Vice President, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Odinga carved a political path that would shape generations and redefine opposition politics in Kenya.

He began his schooling at Kisumu Union Primary and later attended Maranda High School. In the early 1960s, he travelled to East Germany for higher education, first undertaking studies at the Herder Institute before proceeding to the Technical School in Magdeburg, where he earned a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1970.

Upon his return home, Odinga joined the University of Nairobi as a lecturer in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He then ventured into business, founding East African Spectre Limited, one of the region’s first private gas cylinder manufacturing companies.

In 1974, he left academia for public service, joining the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), where he rose to the position of deputy director by 1978. But beneath the calm of a technocrat was a reformist whose convictions would soon lead him to the stormy world of politics.

Political journey
His journey into politics was anything but ordinary. In 1982, Odinga was accused of involvement in an attempted coup against then-President Daniel Arap Moi and was detained without trial for six years.

Upon release, he continued to push for political freedoms and was twice arrested for agitating against one-party rule. In 1991, he fled to Norway for safety, only to return the following year when Kenya reintroduced multiparty democracy.

In 1992, Raila was elected Member of Parliament for Lang’ata Constituency under the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy–Kenya (FORD–K), led by his father. It was the start of a two-decade parliamentary career in which he became one of Kenya’s most influential lawmakers.

After Jaramogi died in 1994, internal wrangles split FORD–K, prompting Raila to form the National Development Party (NDP), where he began to consolidate his own political base. His charisma and strategic alliances later led him to merge the NDP with the ruling KANU in 2001, earning him a Cabinet appointment as Minister for Energy and the position of KANU secretary-general.

However, when President Moi handpicked Uhuru Kenyatta as his successor, Odinga led a revolt within the party, forming the Rainbow Alliance and later the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). In 2002, he threw his weight behind Mwai Kibaki under the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC), whose victory ended KANU’s 40-year dominance.

But the post-election euphoria soon gave way to tension, with Odinga accusing Kibaki of reneging on a pre-election power-sharing agreement. By 2005, he had once again assumed his role as the face of reform, leading a successful campaign against a proposed constitution and, in the process, establishing his new political vehicle, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

ODM went on to dominate the 2007 elections, but the disputed presidential results that followed plunged the country into deadly post-election violence. In 2008, a power-sharing deal brokered by former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan saw Odinga appointed as Kenya’s first Prime Minister under former President Kibaki, a position through which he championed reform and good governance.

Odinga played a pivotal role in the passage of the 2010 Constitution, which introduced devolution, one of the hallmarks of his political legacy. 

Yet, the presidency remained elusive. He lost the 2013, 2017, and 2022 elections, all marred by controversy, though his successful petition that led to the annulment of the 2017 presidential election remains a landmark in Kenya’s democratic journey.

In January 2018, Odinga dramatically swore himself in as the “People’s President,” only to later surprise the nation by reconciling with Uhuru Kenyatta in what became famously known as ‘The handshake.’ The gesture birthed the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), a bid to heal political divides and address historical injustices, though it would later face constitutional hurdles.

In 2022, Odinga made his fifth and final attempt at the presidency under the Azimio la Umoja coalition, with Martha Karua as his running mate and the backing of former President Uhuru Kenyatta. He lost narrowly to William Ruto and unsuccessfully challenged the results in court.

Even in opposition, Odinga remained a towering figure. He led mass protests against the high cost of living and government excesses, stimulating supporters as passionately as he had in his youth. Yet, in a surprising twist, he later struck a truce with President Ruto, a move reminiscent of his earlier handshake with Kenyatta.

This eased political tensions and saw several ODM members appointed to key government positions.

A continental figure
Beyond Kenya, Odinga’s stature grew across Africa. His unwavering belief in unity and progress led him to seek the chairmanship of the African Union Commission, a final chapter that underscored his lifelong Pan-African vision.

Raila Amollo Odinga, the son of a freedom fighter, a detainee turned statesman, a perennial reformist, was a man who refused to yield to fear or defeat.

Odinga died at 80 years old, leaving behind an indelible mark on Kenya’s political history.