Raila Amolo Odinga: The Colossus Who Shaped Kenya’s Political Soul

By Fred Nyankuru

When the news of Raila Amolo Odinga’s passing broke, a heavy silence fell over the nation —the kind that swallows even the loudest of political slogans. It wasn’t merely the death of a man. It was the closing of a political chapter that has, for more than half a century, defined Kenya’s struggle for democracy, justice, and reform. Whether you adored him or opposed him, you could not ignore him. Raila Odinga was, in every sense, an enigma; one whose shadow loomed large over Kenya’s political landscape for decades.

I confess, I never voted for him. I often disagreed with his approach, his rhetoric, and sometimes his methods. Yet, in the stillness of reflection, one cannot deny that Raila Odinga was a good soldier —perhaps the best Kenya has ever had in the long, winding battle for the country’s democratic soul. He may not have worn the crown of the presidency, but his fingerprints are on every milestone Kenya has achieved since the reintroduction of multi-party politics.

Born into the family of Kenya’s first Vice President, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Raila’s life was steeped in politics from the cradle. Yet his journey was anything but privileged. He bore the brunt of state persecution, detention without trial, and political betrayal. He was imprisoned, exiled, and vilified; but never broken. Few men have walked through the furnace of oppression and emerged with such unrelenting resolve to continue fighting for those who wronged them.

It was Raila’s resilience during the ‘dark days’ of the Moi regime that earned him a mythical reputation. When others compromised, he resisted. When others fled, he stood his ground. When others whispered, he roared. The reforms that gave Kenya the 2010 Constitution, the liberalisation of political space, and the strengthening of civil liberties all bear his indelible mark.

Raila Odinga’s political journey was a paradox of victory and defeat. He was the perennial presidential contender, always close enough to power to taste it, but never quite able to hold it. Yet, in defeat, he was never vanquished. His capacity to rise from political ashes time and again is a testament to his remarkable stamina and belief in Kenya’s democratic promise.

From his legendary 2002 “Kibaki Tosha” declaration, which helped end KANU’s four-decade rule, to the Orange Democratic Movement’s (ODM) pivotal role in 2007 and beyond, Raila was the fulcrum of Kenya’s political movements. He inspired loyalty and stirred emotion in a way no other politician could. To his supporters, he was “Baba,” a father figure, a liberator, a messiah of the downtrodden. To his detractors, he was a master tactician of chaos and contradiction.

His political genius lay not in holding office but in shaping power itself. Every administration since the early 2000s —Kibaki, Uhuru, and Ruto —was defined in part by how it aligned with or against Raila Odinga. In many ways, Raila was the conscience of the Republic, always prodding the system, challenging the establishment, and forcing the nation to ask uncomfortable questions about justice, equality, and governance.

But Raila was also human; flawed, ambitious, and sometimes undone by his own miscalculations. His leadership style within ODM was often criticised as authoritarian, and his alliances sometimes appeared opportunistic. He could unite the country around great causes but also polarise it with his fiery rhetoric. His faith in the ballot was both noble and naïve —he believed in the will of the people even when the system seemed rigged against him.

The “Handshake” with President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2018 remains one of the most controversial chapters of his career. To some, it was a patriotic act that brought peace and stability after a divisive election. To others, it was a betrayal; a soft landing that diluted the opposition and legitimised those he had long accused of electoral theft. It was Raila’s greatest gamble, and perhaps, his greatest contradiction.

In the end, history will judge Raila Amolo Odinga not by the elections he lost, but by the ideals he refused to surrender. He fought for a Kenya that was freer, fairer, and more inclusive and though that Kenya remains a work in progress, it exists because of him. He taught us that patriotism sometimes means standing alone. That defeat does not mean failure. That one can lose politically but win morally. His was a life of struggle, sacrifice, and stubborn hope.

Raila Odinga never became president, but he was more than that. He was the heartbeat of Kenyan politics, the man who made every regime nervous, every youth dream, and every citizen question the meaning of freedom. His journey was not perfect, but it was profoundly human.

As Kenya mourns the passing of the enigma, the nation must rise above partisan lines to say, truthfully and without hesitation: Raila Amolo Odinga was a giant and the story of modern Kenya cannot be told without him.

Rest well, Baba. You fought the good fight. You ran your race. And in your own way, you won.

Fare thee well, Jakom!