BONDO, Kenya — Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka on Thursday led a high-profile delegation from Eastern Kenya to Kang’o Ka Jaramogi in Bondo, Siaya County, to pay tribute to the former Prime Minister, the late Raila Odinga.
Addressing mourners at the solemn ceremony, Musyoka delivered an emotionally charged eulogy, recalling moments of political struggle and shared danger with the late Odinga.
He recounted a tense episode during the 2023 anti-government protests over the high cost of living, where both leaders allegedly survived an assassination attempt.
“We have been in the trenches with my brother. In 2023, when Kenyans were saying the cost of living was unbearable, Raila and I nearly got killed in Embakasi South,” Musyoka said.
“It was like the orders were given that day—mainly targeting Raila—because we counted 10 bullet attempts on him. If he didn’t have an armoured vehicle, we would have buried him in 2023.”
Musyoka eulogized Odinga as a man of deep faith and sacrifice, condemning past insults directed at the Odinga family. He urged Kenyans to remember the late leader as a statesman who dedicated his life to the nation’s democratic struggles.
“We are burying a man of God who laid his life for the sake of this nation. This is not a mganga or a mchawi lying here,” he declared. “Nobody should ever use those names again or associate the Oginga Odinga family with such things.”
The Wiper leader added that Odinga’s influence would transcend his death, inspiring generations to come.
“Odinga will be more powerful in death than he was alive because he inspired the young Kenyans and Gen Zs. The history of this nation cannot be written without prominence being given to Raila,” Musyoka said.
He also called for unity and reconciliation, noting that Kenyans from all walks of life would continue to visit Bondo to honour Odinga’s legacy.
“Don’t be surprised that the whole nation will keep on coming here. I know even the Kikuyu nation, our brother Riggy G included, would want to come. Those who spoke badly spoke for themselves,” he said.
Siaya Governor James Orengo, who hosted the delegation, lauded Musyoka’s enduring partnership with Odinga across multiple election cycles.
“In 2013, 2017 and 2022, you worked with Raila Odinga. Some people forget that the minority in Parliament is led by ODM and Wiper, and we should never forget that legacy,” Orengo remarked.
Odinga’s family, led by Raila Odinga Junior and Mama Ida Odinga, expressed gratitude to Musyoka and his delegation, acknowledging the decades-long friendship between the two leaders.
“My father was a Pan-Africanist and a national leader who welcomed everyone, which is why we as a family are doing as well,” said Raila Jr.
Mama Ida added, “Kalonzo has been a friend of Baba for many, many years. When we see him come here, he is grieving because he has come to mourn his friend.”
The visit underscored the close political and personal bonds that shaped Kenya’s opposition politics over the last two decades, highlighting Kalonzo’s pivotal role in honouring the memory of one of the country’s most influential statesmen.
