{"id":123266,"date":"2025-10-17T10:03:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T10:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/10\/17\/he-was-always-number-one-in-class-oburu-recalls-railas-childhood\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T10:03:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T10:03:08","slug":"he-was-always-number-one-in-class-oburu-recalls-railas-childhood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/he-was-always-number-one-in-class-oburu-recalls-railas-childhood\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018He was always Number One in class\u2019: Oburu recalls Raila\u2019s childhood"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 17 \u2014 \u201cHe was always number one in class,\u201d Dr. Oburu Oginga recalled proudly on Friday as he paid an emotional tribute to his late brother, former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga, during the State Funeral at Nyayo National Stadium.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Oburu, the Siaya Senator, said Raila\u2019s brilliance, discipline, and sense of justice were evident from childhood, describing him as a gifted scholar, a courageous defender, and a man guided by truth from an early age.<\/p>\n

\u201cRaila was always number one in class,\u201d he said. \u201cI was average \u2014 number three, sometimes four or five \u2014 but Raila always topped the class.\u201d<\/p>\n

He painted a vivid portrait of their upbringing in Sakwa, Bondo, under the care of a strict but loving mother who instilled in them values of discipline, hard work, and self-reliance.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mother was more of a disciplinarian than our father,\u201d Oburu said. \u201cShe made sure we learned to cook, fetch firewood, wash clothes, and iron \u2014 and Raila excelled in all those things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond academics, Raila shone in sports \u2014 particularly in triple jump, pole vaulting, and football \u2014 but it was his uncompromising commitment to justice that set him apart.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother loved justice from the beginning,\u201d Oburu said. \u201cHe never tolerated lies or mediocrity. If you crossed him with dishonesty, his left hand was very fast \u2014 he would teach you to always be truthful,\u201d he added, drawing laughter from mourners.<\/p>\n

\u2018Protector\u2019 <\/h2>\n

Oburu remembered Raila as a protector and courageous sibling who always stood up for his family. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe defended me and our late brother because he was always the brave one,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Holding back tears, Oburu spoke of the deep personal loss he felt, revealing that Raila had passed away on his birthday, October 15. <\/p>\n

\u201cI have a very heavy heart to say farewell to my dear brother who was more than a brother \u2014 he was my friend, my agemate, my advisor, my confidant, and my business partner,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Despite being older, Oburu said he always looked up to Raila as a political leader and mentor. <\/p>\n

\u201cEven though my brother was younger than me, I respected him as my leader in the political arena,\u201d he said, thanking the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) for naming him acting party leader following Raila\u2019s death. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe shoes of Raila are too big to fill, but I will try my best and I will not disappoint.\u201d<\/p>\n

Oburu concluded by celebrating Raila\u2019s courage, intellect, and unwavering integrity, saying his brother\u2019s life was defined by truth, justice, and service to Kenya.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 17 \u2014 \u201cHe was always number one in class,\u201d Dr. Oburu Oginga recalled proudly on Friday as he paid an emotional tribute to his late brother, former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga, during the State Funeral at Nyayo National Stadium. Oburu, the Siaya Senator, said Raila\u2019s brilliance, discipline, and sense of justice […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123266","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123266","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123266"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123266\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123266"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123266"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123266"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}