KISUMU, Kenya – Ruth Odinga has accused a section of young Kenyans of hypocrisy in their mourning of her late brother, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, saying he died feeling rejected by the very generation now expressing love and admiration for him.
Speaking on Saturday during a family tribute, Ruth said Raila had become increasingly aware of hostility directed toward him on social media in the months before his death, particularly from younger Kenyans who accused him of political failings.
“The Gen Zs are the same people talking about the outpouring love when he is dead. How about when he was not dead and you wanted him to die?” Ruth said emotionally.
She lamented that the unity and affection currently being displayed across the country came too late for her brother to witness.
“He died only knowing that the Gen Zs preferred him dead. It is only us who are seeing this outpouring of love. He would have loved you people to have more love. When the machine was switched off, I knew Kenya had lost,” she added.
Ruth was among family members who had accompanied Raila to India for medical treatment before his passing, which has sparked an unprecedented wave of mourning both at home and abroad.
On Friday, thousands of Kenyans thronged Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi to pay their final respects to the veteran opposition leader.
The atmosphere was charged with grief and reverence as Raila’s flag-draped casket entered the arena.
Cries of “Baaaba! Jowi!” rent the air, white handkerchiefs waved in unison, and mourners wept openly — a rare moment of national emotion for a figure often seen as both divisive and unifying.
On Saturday, Raila’s body was airlifted to Kisumu, where thousands lined the streets of Kondele, Nyalenda, and Kibuye to view his body.
Residents danced, sang liberation songs, and lit hundreds of candles, their flickering light reflecting the region’s deep affection and collective grief.
Raila’s burial is scheduled for Sunday at his rural home in Bondo, Siaya County, in what is expected to be one of the largest state funerals in Kenya’s history.
