NAIROBI, Kenya — Controversial businessman Oketch Salah has fired back at Ruth Odinga after she publicly stated that she did not know him and asked him to stay away from the late Raila Odinga’s family following the opposition leader’s death.
Salah responded with detailed claims about his involvement with the family’s travel arrangements and final moments with the late former Prime Minister.
In a televised interview on KTN News, Ruth said she did not know Salah when asked about his presence around her family during the period of mourning.
“I really don’t know him that well. I am one of the people surprised that he says he knows me. In my whole life, I have met Oketch Salah about three times. I don’t know him, and I would not like to be engaged in talking about Oketch Salah,” the Kisumu Woman Representative said.
Her comments prompted a swift response from Salah, who issued a statement asserting his role in organising travel and supporting the family during and after Raila Odinga’s illness.
“I am the one who organised Ruth’s flight ticket to India,” Salah said, adding that he arranged her business class Emirates ticket.
According to his statement, he was initially in India when Raila’s health deteriorated but returned earlier than planned at the express request of the late opposition icon to oversee arrangements connected with his son’s wedding, a ceremony that had been postponed several times due to his health challenges.
Salah said he had planned to meet Raila in Dubai, but the former Prime Minister passed away before the meeting could take place.
He also insisted that he spent “most of Baba’s final moments with him,” describing those moments as “real, painful, and deeply personal.”
Despite his assertions, members of Raila Odinga’s family, including his daughter Winnie Odinga, have publicly distanced themselves from Salah, stating they do not know him.
Salah addressed these public distancing statements directly in his rebuttal, saying he comes from “a well‑established business family” and is “self‑sufficient.”
“ODM does not belong to you, or to me, or to any one family. If it does, then let that be stated openly, and I will step away without hesitation,” Salah said, referencing the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), the party founded by Raila and currently one of Kenya’s main parties.
Salah also weighed in on internal party leadership matters, urging Ruth Odinga to refrain from what he characterised as a feud with her elder brother, Oburu Oginga, who is presently the ODM party boss.
“I also say with respect, you should stop fighting your elder brother, who is the current party leader,” he said.
In his statement, Salah criticised what he called attempts to “erase or turn into political theatre” the personal and private moments he shared with Raila Odinga.
He emphasised that his involvement was driven by personal loyalty rather than political ambition or exploitation of his relationship with the late leader for influence.
