Humble but firm: Host Engstrom recalls Raila's life in exile in Norway

Sometime in 1991, when Raila Odinga was forced into exile at the height of the struggle for multiparty democracy in Kenya, he found an unlikely sanctuary in the quiet, snow-covered suburbs of Norway.

So intense was the political turbulence then that when the Norwegian Embassy waded in following a dispute over the arrest of a political activist, a diplomatic spat ensued. 

The government alleged Norway was involved in activities undermining Kenya’s stability, leading to the expulsion of embassy staff.

It was this time that a Norwegian, Rune Engstrom, emerged as a pivotal figure in private chapters of Raila’s exile years for extending an olive branch and hosting him before the government of Norway provided him with accommodation. 

During an interview with The Standard, he shared the personal relationship, disclosing the stories of Raila that transcended beyond politics.

“Raila was not the person you saw on TV and in public gatherings. He was a very quiet and humble family man,” he said. 

For him, the politician was a simple person without class boundaries as he met ordinary people more than he would leaders while in Oslo. 

“When you spoke with him in private you would not recognize him, you would not know that he’s the same person,” he said, adding “he always had time to sit down and listen to Kenyans or friends of Kenya. Always.” 

“He walked around and took the bus, just like a normal citizen.” 

The now late Raila had braved the stormy waters of Lake Victoria, on a rainy night, to the safety of neighbouring Uganda after some goons had attacked him in Nairobi and were planning to inflict more harm.

According to Engstrom, the Norwegian consulate in Kampala facilitated access to Raila’s travel documents after the United Nations refugee agency (UNHRC) cleared his asylum request. 

“But everything was so secret. So very few people, also in the Norwegian system, knew about it. Because you never, in a situation like that, don’t know who is talking with who,” he noted. 

“It could have been disaster if the news leaked in Kenya before he was safely in Norway.” 

Initially, he said, his journey with Raila began when he met him through his sister, Ruth Odinga, who was then a friend to his fiancé, with who they later got married and settled in the European nation. 

“They (Ruth Odinga and Engstrom’s wife) were students together. We later got married and Ruth became the godmother to my son. We were friends and hanging out and I had no clue who Odinga was,” he said. 

At the time, he told The Standard, he had visited Kenya for business trip together with his partner, when the spouse approached him over the possibility of them hosting Raila. 

“Ruth came to me and asked if I could assist because we had a house in Oslo, that Raila was planning to leave Kenya. It was very secret, so very few people knew about it,” he said. 

But even with the political oppression, Raila’s love and desire for a democratic and better Kenya, would yet still, not confine him to a foreign country as he initiated plans to travel back to Kenya.

“As soon as he landed in Norway, Raila did not camouflage as he engaged both the populace and leaders over the situation back home,” Engstrom.

“He was out in public from the second he landed. From day one, he started planning to come back. He was not planning to stay in Norway or in exile at all,” he said. 

As Raila’s influence in Kenyan politics grew, so did their relationship. 

Quiet father

For Engstrom, Kenya’s former Prime Minister was “just a friend that I met and kept in touch over the years.” 

And news of Raila’s death, who many revered as the father of democracy, broke his heart and left him shaken, with their plans to “meet soon” now shattered. 

“I have lost a good friend,” he said.

The news of Raila’s death happened two days after Engstrom arrived in Kenya on October 13 for a business trip.

He eulogised Raila as caring and a “quiet father with his family, just making sure everybody was safe.” 

According to him, the world will miss a man who “was always steadfast in fighting for democracy in a peaceful way.”