The family of the late Raila Amolo Odinga has drawn a clear line around the first anniversary of his death, saying it will be a commemoration by the people and not an occasion to play politics.
In a carefully calibrated statement on Sunday, the family said Raila transcended the boundaries of family and party politics and became a figure whose political journey was woven into the lives of millions of Kenyans.
“Baba belonged to the people,” the family said.
Preparations for the anniversary on October 15 are in top gear, with the family acknowledging that many of Raila’s supporters never got the chance to mourn him or say goodbye in the manner they wished. The family now wants to give them that space.
“We therefore want this first anniversary to give the people their moment with Baba — to remember him, mourn him, celebrate him and honour the journey they shared with him,” it said.
To coordinate the commemorations, the Odingas have appointed a committee chaired by Prof. Adams Oloo to oversee activities during the week of September 15. A programme will be released later.
Crucially, the family has asked anyone wishing to organise or support anniversary activities to work through the committee, citing the need for coordination, inclusivity and a unified commemoration.
Raila, who transitioned last year, is increasingly becoming part of Kenya’s political conversation ahead of the 2027 elections, and his family appears keen to prevent his first anniversary from being reduced to a contest between political factions or individual politicians seeking to inherit his political capital.
There will only be room, the family says, for those who walked with Raila.
“This anniversary belongs neither to an individual nor to an institution. It belongs to the people whose lives Baba touched.”
