{"id":123283,"date":"2025-10-17T12:09:49","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T12:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/10\/17\/ruto-hails-raila-as-leader-irrevocably-stubborn-in-pursuit-of-justice-and-unity\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T12:09:49","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T12:09:49","slug":"ruto-hails-raila-as-leader-irrevocably-stubborn-in-pursuit-of-justice-and-unity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/ruto-hails-raila-as-leader-irrevocably-stubborn-in-pursuit-of-justice-and-unity\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruto hails Raila as leader \u2018irrevocably stubborn in pursuit of justice and unity\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 17 \u2014 President William Ruto on Thursday paid an emotional tribute to the late opposition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga, describing him as \u201cirrevocably stubborn in his vision for a just, prosperous, and united Kenya.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking during the State Funeral Service held at Nyayo National Stadium, President Ruto hailed Odinga as a transformative figure whose courage, conviction, and resilience helped shape Kenya\u2019s political destiny for generations.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery once in our generation, there comes a leader whose impact transcends their moment \u2014 whose courage inspires change, and whose vision shapes destinies. My brother, Raila Amolo Odinga, was one such leader,\u201d said Ruto, addressing a solemn crowd that included heads of state, dignitaries, and thousands of mourners.<\/p>\n

Ruto described Odinga as a patriot who lived for Kenya and gave more to the nation than most ever could \u2014 enduring imprisonment, exile, and political struggle not for personal gain but for the principle of service.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe bore the scars of his struggles with dignity and calm, turning pain and suffering into purpose. Jakom<\/em> was at home in the humblest of homes and at ease on the grandest global stages. His heart belonged to the people,\u201d Ruto said.<\/p>\n

Pentagon ally <\/h2>\n

The President recounted his long and complex political journey with Odinga, recalling moments when they stood together as allies in pursuit of reform \u2014 and later faced each other as competitors in Kenya\u2019s charged political arena.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have come a long way with Baba. When I stood by him with the other Pentagon members at a defining moment in our nation\u2019s history, I never imagined that one day we would find ourselves on opposite sides \u2014 or that later, he would stand by me to steady the nation and help anchor my leadership,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n

Ruto said Odinga\u2019s legacy transcended politics, describing him as both a reformer and a reconciler who consistently rose above self-interest for the sake of national unity.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhenever the nation needed him to rise above self, he did so unreservedly. Whenever Kenya needed reason, he became the voice of reason. Whenever the country needed a hand of reconciliation, he offered it without hesitation,\u201d Ruto said.<\/p>\n

He emphasized that Odinga\u2019s famed \u201cstubbornness\u201d was not obstinacy but rather an unshakable commitment to a higher ideal \u2014 the belief in a Kenya where opportunity belongs to all and justice favors none.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose who worked closely with the Right Honorable Raila Odinga know that he was irrevocably stubborn in his vision for a just, prosperous, and united Kenya. He proved that progress demands both courage and patience \u2014 that we must be stubborn on the vision but agile on the details,\u201d the President added.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 17 \u2014 President William Ruto on Thursday paid an emotional tribute to the late opposition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga, describing him as \u201cirrevocably stubborn in his vision for a just, prosperous, and united Kenya.\u201d Speaking during the State Funeral Service held at Nyayo National Stadium, President Ruto hailed […]<\/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-123283","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\/123283","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=123283"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123283\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}