NAIROBI, Kenya – Raila Odinga’s longtime spokesperson Dennis Onyango has shared emotional details of his final days with the late opposition leader, revealing that the veteran politician seemed to sense his time was near.
Speaking to KMB Media, Onyango — who worked closely with the former Prime Minister for nearly three decades — said Raila appeared to be “winding things up” and preparing for his departure.
“He looked like he was preparing for his death. He appeared to be tying loose ends,” Onyango said.
In a post shared on X shortly after Raila’s death, Onyango hinted that the Azimio la Umoja leader had left him with a set of final instructions before flying to India for treatment.
“Final physical instructions and assignment, followed by the last lunch — chicken, beef, kamongo, osuga — his flight to India. Most difficult and interesting job in Kenya, if not on earth. Thank you everyone who reached out to say pole. Will complete the journey,” Onyango wrote on October 21, 2025.
October 3, 2025. Final physical instructions and assignment, followed, by the last lunch; chicken, beef, Kamongo, Osuga, his flight to India. Most difficult and interesting job in Kenya, if not on earth. Thank you everyone who reached out to say pole. Will complete the journey.
Expounding on his X post, Onyango said Raila’s final instructions revolved around preserving his political and intellectual legacy.
Raila’s first instruction was to compile a definitive collection of his speeches — not merely as a record of his political journey, but as a reflection of his philosophy and leadership.
Additionally, Raila had begun working on his biography, but he wanted it to go beyond the story of his political battles.
He tasked Onyango to ensure that the biography focused squarely on Pan-Africanism — an honest examination of Africa’s struggles and failures since independence, and a call to revive the continent’s original vision of unity.
“He wanted his biography to focus purely on Pan-Africanism — especially where we have gone wrong as a continent,” Onyango said. “He asked me to begin from the first speeches delivered at the launch of the African Union.”
Raila also instructed him to write the foreword to the upcoming biography of freedom fighter Achieng’ Oneko, which is set to be launched in December.
Raila, who served as Kenya’s Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013 and was widely regarded as a champion of democracy and Pan-African unity, died in Kochi, India, after suffering a cardiac arrest while undergoing treatment.
Widely regarded as a champion of democracy and Pan-African unity, Raila spent his life pushing for social justice, good governance, and continental integration.
His final acts, Onyango said, reflected the same passion and vision that defined his public life — an enduring commitment to Africa’s unity, justice, and self-determination.
