NAIROBI, Kenya – EALA Member of Parliament Winnie Odinga has opened up about her final private conversations with her late father, the late ODM leader Raila Odinga, emphasizing their deeply personal nature.
Speaking on Citizen TV, Winnie said it would be inappropriate to share the content of these discussions publicly.
“They were deeply personal, and I feel it would be disrespectful of me to share those private conversations with the public,” she said.
“Not every conversation we had was for public consumption. The night before he passed, we sat in his room for two hours discussing everything.”
She added, “For the last 15 years, I have worked at his side, no matter the dispensation. We are similar in a lot of ways, but in a lot of ways, we were different. We used to challenge each other, we used to test each other and push each other.”
Winnie Odinga: Baba did not say he left ODM in government. The last thing he said during an ODM PGM was ‘Who told you ODM will not field a candidate in 2027?’ Those that are now saying that he told them otherwise in secret, who told them? Everything he said, he used to say in
Odinga, who died on 15 October 2025 in India at age 80, was a towering figure in Kenyan politics and one of the architects of modern multiparty democracy in the country.
Known affectionately as “Baba”, he had run for president five times and played a central role in key constitutional reforms. His death triggered national mourning and debates about Kenya’s political future.
Winnie added that many may speculate about what the former party leader may have said in private, but she believes it is not appropriate to bring those conversations into the public domain.
“I think it is disrespectful to the departed, and I don’t think it would be appropriate for me to discuss that,” she said.
Reflecting on her long working relationship with Raila Odinga, she said she had been by his side for the past 15 years, through different political periods.
“For the last 15 years, I have worked at his side, no matter the dispensation. We are similar in a lot of ways, but in a lot of ways, we were different. We used to challenge each other, we used to test each other and push each other,” she said.
