{"id":126136,"date":"2025-12-06T16:03:45","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T16:03:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/please-leave-us-alone-ida-tells-off-politicians-pressing-odinga-family-on-2027\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T16:03:45","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T16:03:45","slug":"please-leave-us-alone-ida-tells-off-politicians-pressing-odinga-family-on-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/please-leave-us-alone-ida-tells-off-politicians-pressing-odinga-family-on-2027\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Please, leave us alone!\u2019: Ida tells off politicians pressing Odinga family on 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 6 \u2013 A sombre gathering at the burial of Beryl Odinga turned into a moment of emotional reflection on family, grief and political succession, as Ida Odinga delivered a firm message to political actors seeking to draw the mourning Odinga family into the 2027 alliances.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaking after moving tributes from family members, Ida\u2014still grappling with the deaths of her husband, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, and her sister-in-law Beryl\u2014asked political players pushing succession narratives to give the family space.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have just buried Raila, and now we are burying Beryl,\u201d she told mourners on Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat has happened to us is very painful. When people are urging us to do certain things, please leave us alone for a little while.\u201d<\/p>\n

In one of her clearest political statements since Raila\u2019s passing, Ida addressed growing speculation over the future leadership of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our family, the head is Dr. Oburu Odinga. And in ODM, the party leader is Dr. Oburu Odinga. Let us keep it like that,\u201d she said, urging commentators and political lobbyists to stop dragging the family into succession talk.<\/p>\n

Her remarks appeared directed at those pushing competing claims online and within political circles about ODM\u2019s future stewardship.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose writing stories on Facebook\u2014please note that the party leader is Dr. Oburu Odinga, and let us maintain that,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Ida pleaded with political actors to allow the family room to mourn, even as ODM\u2019s leadership, she maintained, remains intact under Dr. Oburu Odinga.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are no enemies in politics,\u201d she reminded mourners, warning against divisive narratives. \u201cBut for now, as a family, allow us time.\u201d<\/p>\n

The burial was marked by emotional recollections of Beryl\u2019s generosity, warmth and close ties within the Odinga family.<\/p>\n

Winnie Odinga, Raila\u2019s last-born daughter, delivered a heartfelt tribute, describing Beryl as her \u201ctwin.\u201d She recalled humorous and touching moments\u2014from their first meeting to Beryl\u2019s final interaction with Raila before he travelled to India.<\/p>\n

Where many expected tension between the siblings, Winnie said they instead \u201cended up laughing together.\u201d<\/p>\n

She added that she believed they are now reunited in joy.<\/p>\n

\u201cBaba is probably telling her, \u2018You made me wait here too long,\u2019\u201d she said, drawing emotional reactions from mourners.<\/p>\n

Ida also reflected on Beryl\u2019s youthful elegance, generosity and affection for her nieces and nephews\u2014recalling moments such as Beryl borrowing Ida\u2019s dress for a friend\u2019s wedding without asking.<\/p>\n

\u201cBeryl was loving, generous, and full of life,\u201d Ida said. \u201cEvery time she came home from Zimbabwe, she brought gifts for all the children.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the weight of grief, Ida ended her remarks with a call to action, urging young people to take the 2027 electoral cycle seriously.<\/p>\n

\u201cMake sure you have an identity card. Register as a voter. When you have your ID and voter\u2019s card, you do not need to run after anyone. You simply go and choose the leader you want.\u201d<\/p>\n

She encouraged the youth to embrace civic responsibility and play an active role in shaping the country\u2019s future.<\/p>\n

Beryl Odinga\u2019s burial comes just weeks after the family laid to rest Raila Odinga, marking an especially devastating period for one of Kenya\u2019s most politically influential families.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Dec 6 \u2013 A sombre gathering at the burial of Beryl Odinga turned into a moment of emotional reflection on family, grief and political succession, as Ida Odinga delivered a firm message to political actors seeking to draw the mourning Odinga family into the 2027 alliances. Speaking after moving tributes from family members, […]<\/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-126136","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\/126136","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=126136"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/126136\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=126136"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=126136"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=126136"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}