NAIROBI, Kenya – Winnie Odinga on Thursday delivered a deeply emotional tribute to her late father, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, describing him as both “Dad and superhero” — a man whose love, wit, and courage shaped her life and inspired a nation.
“I don’t know who I’ll miss more — my Dad or my superhero,” she began, her voice trembling as mourners listened in silence. “I am the luckiest girl in the world because you were my Dad. Only three other human beings were as lucky as me — Fidel, Rozzy and Junior.”
Speaking at a national memorial service marked by tears, song, and colour, Winnie portrayed her father as a steady light — “unyielding and deeply human” — whose presence commanded attention wherever he went.
“To the world, you were known by many names,” she said. “You even gave almost everyone you met a nickname too. But to me, you were simply Dad — a man whose presence froze rooms around the world.”
She recalled fondly how their home in Karen served as “the vitendawili testing ground,” where Raila would challenge his children with riddles and trivia to keep their minds sharp.
“Our home was filled with quizzes that tested us in a good way… sometimes,” she said with a smile.
Winnie said she laughed when she discovered her father’s final wish — to be buried within 72 hours of his passing.
“When I learnt that you willed to be buried in 72 hours, I laughed. Good old Dad! Testing and planning for us beyond the grave,” she said. “I can see you now, laughing in your heaving manner, knowing your wish will be done.”
Turning to the mourners, she urged Kenyans not to despair, saying her father had prepared both his family and the nation for this moment.
“Millions of you are in despair, but take heart. He left a plan for you too. He led all of us, he taught us, he carried us — we know what he expects from all of us, and we shall rise together in his honour.”
Winnie described her father as a man of humility and resilience who faced triumph and defeat with the same grace.
“I watched him at his best. I watched him fall and rise again each time with grace, forgiveness, and hope,” she said. “He taught us that defeat is not failure, that conviction is not arrogance, and that peace is always greater than pride.”
At home, she said, Raila was a gentle and humorous family man who adored his grandchildren and made time for them even amid the pressures of national duty.
“Ask his grandchildren in the front,” she said, smiling through tears. “I started getting sidelined for holidays. I’d just wake up and see Baba in Kasarani with Saphie, or Malindi with Senayi, or insisting the captain must land the plane with Laiyon at the cockpit.”
“He loved Saphie, Allay, Senayi, Laiyon and Jara with all his heart,” she added.
As she concluded, Winnie said she would forever cherish both the father she knew and the leader the world admired.
“Today, as we celebrate his life, I choose to remember not only the leader the world knew, but the father I loved with every fibre of my being,” she said. “The biggest part of me died on October 15, 2025, but the spirit of the lion roars on forever. The King is dead — but long live the crown.”
Earlier, a solemn military convoy had escorted Raila’s remains through Nairobi’s streets in a display of national reverence rarely witnessed for a political figure.
The cortege — led by military outriders and a ceremonial gun carriage — drew thunderous cheers as it entered Nyayo Stadium, where thousands of mourners waved flags and orange ribbons, the signature colour of his ODM party.
The state ceremony, steeped in military precision and emotional tributes, reflected the deep affection and respect Kenyans held for the man they fondly called Baba — a freedom fighter, reformist, and symbol of Kenya’s democratic struggle.
