By Anderson Ojwang
President William Ruto has termed the death of Raila Odinga as a big blow to him.
Ruto also said that the organization of Raila’s funeral was an act of God and a painful, difficult, and tense undertaking.
“I have heard people say, and I have read in newspapers and on social media, that the death of Prime Minister Raila Odinga is a blow to President William Ruto. Yes, indeed, it is true. It is a big blow to me,” he said without elaborating.
During the recent burial of the late Mama Phoebe Asiyo in Karachuonyo, Raila had said that the broad-based government would go beyond the 2027 General Election.
“We will go to the people and present to them what we have achieved, and the broad-based government will go beyond 2027,” Raila said then.
ODM leaders who spoke at the function committed to remaining in the broad-based government, saying it was Raila’s wish before his demise.
Ruto said the successful organization of Raila’s funeral was an act of God, and that it would not have been possible without heeding the former Prime Minister’s wish to be buried within 72 hours.
“When I went to my office at 6:45 a.m., Dr. Oburu Odinga sent me a WhatsApp message reading, ‘My brother is critically ill.’ I called him back and asked what had happened, because we had spoken with Baba and everything seemed okay.
“Ten minutes later, Oburu called again and told me, ‘It looks like Baba is gone.’ He was not conclusive. Two minutes later, Winnie Odinga called me. I told her, ‘Please, Winnie, don’t tell me anything bad.’ She replied, ‘The bad news has happened. My father is no more.’”
Ruto said he immediately contacted the Government of India and requested that they accord Raila the highest level of support.
“It was not easy. In the evening, after we had arranged for the repatriation of the body, Winnie called me at night. She asked, ‘Mr. President, why is the plane scheduled to collect my father’s body landing in Mumbai instead of where my father is? You are now stressing me with moving my father’s body at night to Mumbai, and I am exhausted.’
“I had a very difficult moment. I tried to explain that the plane had passengers destined for Mumbai, but she could not take my explanation. So I called Ruth Odinga to kindly manage Winnie on my behalf. All in all, the concern of the family was overwhelming,” he said.
Ruto said he had to work overtime to fulfill Raila’s burial wishes.
“At 9:00 a.m. in the morning, as we were making arrangements, I saw a WhatsApp message from Raila Junior. It read, ‘My father’s will says he must be buried within 72 hours, and I am sending our lawyer to inform my mother of Mzee’s will,’” he said.
Ruto said it was a delicate balancing act—juggling between Raila’s will, the repatriation of his body, cultural expectations, state protocol, and the circumstances in India.
“We are here this Sunday to pay our last respects to Raila Amolo Odinga. It is an act of God, and we thank God that He has brought us this far,” he said.
