{"id":123267,"date":"2025-10-17T10:03:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T10:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/10\/17\/oburu-celebrates-raila-as-a-man-of-truth-and-justice\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T10:03:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T10:03:09","slug":"oburu-celebrates-raila-as-a-man-of-truth-and-justice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/oburu-celebrates-raila-as-a-man-of-truth-and-justice\/","title":{"rendered":"Oburu celebrates Raila as a man of truth and justice"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 17 \u2014 Dr. Oburu Oginga, elder brother to the late Raila Amolo Odinga, delivered a deeply moving tribute at his State Funeral on Friday, celebrating the life, character, and legacy of Kenya\u2019s longtime opposition leader and democracy icon.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking at Nyayo National Stadium, Oburu described Raila as a man of unmatched intellect, courage, and integrity \u2014 a brother, mentor, and lifelong companion whose influence shaped not only his family but an entire nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a very heavy heart to say farewell to my dear brother who was more than a brother to me,\u201d the Siaya Senator said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was my friend, my agemate, my advisor, my confidant, and even my business partner.\u201d<\/p>\n

He recalled their shared childhood in Sakwa, Bondo, where they were raised under a strict but loving mother who instilled in them discipline, hard work, and self-reliance.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mother was more of a disciplinarian than our father,\u201d he 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

Oburu, who is the Siaya Senator, said he and Raila grew up \u201cmore or less as twins,\u201d their bond cemented by a closeness in age and shared experiences.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe difference between me and my brother is only one year and two months,\u201d he noted. \u201cWe did almost everything together.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a poignant revelation, Oburu shared that Raila passed away on his birthday, October 15 \u2014 a coincidence that has deepened his personal grief.<\/p>\n

\u2018Number 1 in class\u2019<\/h2>\n

He spoke with pride of Raila\u2019s brilliance, describing him as a top performer throughout his academic life.<\/p>\n

\u201cRaila was always number one in class,\u201d Oburu recalled with a smile. \u201cI was average \u2014 number three, number four, sometimes five \u2014 but Raila was always number one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond academics, Raila was also a gifted sportsman, excelling in triple jump, football, and pole vaulting. But, Oburu said, it was his brother\u2019s passion for truth and justice that stood out even in childhood.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy brother loved justice from the beginning,\u201d he said. \u201cHe was a no-nonsense man who never tolerated lies or mediocrity. If you crossed him with something dishonest or substandard, his left hand was very fast \u2014 he would teach you a lesson that you must always be truthful,\u201d he added to light laughter from the mourners.<\/p>\n

Oburu hailed Raila\u2019s courage and protective nature, saying he always stood up for his siblings. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe protected me and our late brother because he was the brave one \u2014 always ready to confront anyone who attacked us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Turning to Raila\u2019s political legacy, Oburu acknowledged the trust placed in him by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to serve as acting party leader following his brother\u2019s passing.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven though my brother was younger than me, I respected him as my leader in the political arena,\u201d he said. \u201cThe shoes of Raila are too big to fill, but I will try my best \u2014 and I will not disappoint.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 17 \u2014 Dr. Oburu Oginga, elder brother to the late Raila Amolo Odinga, delivered a deeply moving tribute at his State Funeral on Friday, celebrating the life, character, and legacy of Kenya\u2019s longtime opposition leader and democracy icon. Speaking at Nyayo National Stadium, Oburu described Raila as a man of unmatched intellect, […]<\/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-123267","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\/123267","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=123267"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123267\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123267"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123267"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123267"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}