By James Okoth
It has been days since the red soils of Bondo swallowed the body of Raila Amolo Odinga, yet the road to Kang’o ka Jaramogi has not gone quiet. The convoys still come, the footsteps still fall, and the songs still rise softly from pilgrims of every shade and persuasion.
Some come in silence, some in ceremony.
Some come to mourn. Others come to understand. But all leave with one truth heavy on their hearts; that even in death, Raila Odinga continues to receive visitors.
When Raila was alive, his politics revolved around the art of visiting and being visited. He was, at once, both guest and host to the nation’s conscience.
From Kibera’s muddy paths to State House’s polished floors, Raila’s political life was a journey of presence, of showing up, shaking hands and facing adversaries eye to eye.
He believed in the physicality of politics: that leadership must be seen, not merely heard.


