NAIROBI, Kenya — Siaya Senator and ODM leader Oburu Oginga returned to the country on Thursday after a brief sabbatical in Dubai, arriving at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), where he was received by ODM members before proceeding to Lee Funeral Home to view the body of his younger sister, the late Beryl Achieng’ Odinga.
The senator’s arrival was confirmed by Nyakach MP Joshua Aduma Owuor, who said party members accompanied him from the airport amid an atmosphere of sombre reflection within the ODM fraternity. Beryl died on November 25, a development earlier confirmed by Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga.
Oburu had announced on November 21 that he was taking a short break for personal rest. In a message to supporters, he described the period as necessary “to recollect, recharge, and reset,” emphasising that he remained in “good health and high spirits.”
According to his son, Jaoko Oburu Odinga, the Dubai visit was primarily intended to give the veteran politician a rare moment of respite following a particularly demanding political and personal season.
“There have been speculations about the health of Oburu Oginga. We have had functions to mourn Baba, and there was also ODM at 20,” he said. “The party leader has not had time to rest and even mourn his own brother. Last week he took his break and went to Dubai. He will be back.”
Ruth Odinga also noted that the senator’s short stay in Dubai was part of previously planned arrangements to allow him time to recover from the emotional strain of recent national and party events.
Oburu played a central role in the funeral arrangements of his brother, Raila Odinga, who died on October 15. He sat on the national planning committee that oversaw the state funeral and coordinated the final rites at Kang’o ka Jaramogi in Siaya County.
The senator has also remained active in party affairs, including participating in ODM’s 20th anniversary celebrations held recently in Mombasa.
His return now sets the stage for the Odinga family’s preparations to lay Beryl to rest, marking yet another moment of collective grief for a family long considered central to Kenya’s political landscape.
The latest loss comes barely weeks after the country completed the elaborate burial arrangements for the former Prime Minister, leaving the family in back-to-back mourning cycles.
ODM officials are expected to meet in the coming days to support the Odinga family in organising funeral logistics for Beryl, even as party members continue rallying around Oburu during this period of bereavement.
The senator is expected to scale down his public engagements temporarily as he spends time with family in Siaya ahead of the final send-off.
The Odinga family is expected to issue an official burial programme in the coming days.
