{"id":123360,"date":"2025-10-19T09:09:33","date_gmt":"2025-10-19T09:09:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/10\/19\/honour-raila-by-not-beating-your-wives-and-husbands-retired-bishop-tells-mourners\/"},"modified":"2025-10-19T09:09:33","modified_gmt":"2025-10-19T09:09:33","slug":"honour-raila-by-not-beating-your-wives-and-husbands-retired-bishop-tells-mourners","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/honour-raila-by-not-beating-your-wives-and-husbands-retired-bishop-tells-mourners\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Honour Raila by not beating your wives and husbands,\u2019 Retired Bishop tells mourners"},"content":{"rendered":"

BONDO, Siaya County, Oct 19 \u2014 Retired Bishop of the Anglican Church in Maseno West, Joseph Wasonga, has called on Kenyans to honor the legacy of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga by rejecting all forms of gender-based violence.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bishop Wasonga, who delivered the homily during the national farewell service at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST), reminded mourners that Raila was a lifelong crusader for equality and justice.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe [Raila] was an advocate against gender violence. And let me tell those who [are] here today \u2014 when you go home, honor Raila by not beating your husband or your wife, because Raila [was] a crusader against gender violence,\u201d Bishop Wasonga urged.<\/p>\n

He further called on the nation to continue Raila\u2019s fight for gender equality by ensuring that more women are elected to leadership positions across the country, noting that the late Prime Minister was a \u201cchampion of women\u2019s empowerment and equal representation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Preaching from Psalms 34:18 \u2014 \u201cThe Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who [are<\/em>] crushed in spirit\u201d<\/em> \u2014 the Bishop emphasized that God remains near to those in mourning.<\/p>\n

He addressed his message of comfort to Mama Ida Odinga, their children Rosemary, Raila Jr., and Winnie, Senator Oburu Odinga, and the entire Odinga family.<\/p>\n

President William Ruto, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and a host of dignitaries attended the service presided over Bishop David Kodia of the Anglican Diocese of Bondo.<\/p>\n

\u201cI first preached at Jaramogi Odinga\u2019s funeral in 1994 at Kang\u2019o Ka Jaramogi,\u201d Bishop Wasonga recalled. \u201cThen, I told the Odinga family that though parties may break, God\u2019s love for them will never fail. Today, I repeat those same words \u2014 God is close to those who mourn.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reflection <\/h2>\n

The Bishop outlined three key purposes of attending a funeral: to mourn with those who mourn, to learn from the virtues of the departed, and to be reminded of the brevity of life.<\/p>\n

He praised Odinga\u2019s lifelong commitment to justice, equality, and compassion, sharing personal moments that revealed the late leader\u2019s humility and care for others.<\/p>\n

\u201cRaila was a man who cared deeply for his followers,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

\u201cI remember when he came to my home in Ng\u2019iya with Dr. Oburu and others. After taking tea and porridge before heading to a rally, he told his team to \u2018offload before entering the arena of politics.\u2019 That was his caring nature \u2014 always thinking of others.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bishop Wasonga encouraged Kenyans to draw inspiration from Odinga\u2019s life by upholding justice, integrity, and faith in God.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeath has disrupted the Odinga family, the ODM party, and even the country,\u201d he said. \u201cBut those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. Mama Ida, wait upon the Lord. President Ruto, wait upon the Lord. All of us, let us wait upon the Lord.\u201d<\/p>\n

He concluded his sermon with a call for national unity, justice, and faith in God as the foundation for Kenya\u2019s continued progress.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet justice flow like a river and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream. Let us give widows and orphans their rights. This nation will be stronger and more united when we look to God,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The late Raila Odinga \u2014 Kenya\u2019s longtime opposition leader, former Prime Minister, and democracy icon \u2014 will be interred later on Sunday at his rural home in Bondo.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BONDO, Siaya County, Oct 19 \u2014 Retired Bishop of the Anglican Church in Maseno West, Joseph Wasonga, has called on Kenyans to honor the legacy of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga by rejecting all forms of gender-based violence. Bishop Wasonga, who delivered the homily during the national farewell service at the Jaramogi Oginga […]<\/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-123360","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\/123360","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=123360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123360\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}