Ruth Odinga Says Raila Died Knowing Gen Zs Preferred Him Dead

Ruth Odinga, the younger sister of the late Raila Odinga, has opened up about the difficult relationship between the former Prime Minister and Kenya’s Gen Zs during his final years. Speaking at their family home in Opoda Farm, Bondo, Ruth reflected on how the same generation that once criticized Raila is now leading in mourning his death.

She spoke with emotion about how her brother’s sacrifices were often overlooked by the very people he hoped to empower. “You’re the same people, especially you as a Gen Z who’s telling me the outpouring of love when he’s dead. How about when he was alive and you were saying akufe. He died knowing that you people (Gen Zs) preferred him dead. It is only we who are seeing the outpouring, but how about Baba? He would have loved you people to have more love,” she said.

Why Did Ruth Odinga Speak About Raila’s Relationship with Gen Zs?

Ruth expressed disappointment at how some young Kenyans only recognized Raila’s contribution after his passing. “For those who said those things when he was still alive, it was really wrong but for those who have shown their love right now, hamkujua the reality would be this but the loss is for Kenya. When I laid him down and stopped the machines, I said Kenya has lost. Kenya is lost, I don’t know where it’s going without Raila,” she added.

She also shared a personal story about Raila’s decision to transform their home into a museum, initially a point of disagreement between them. “I remember when he said he was making our home into a museum and I was the first to protest because I am the last born and I didn’t know where I’d go but now schools go there, there’s a lot of heritage and now it’s more monumental that Raila is buried there, that Odinga families’ legacy will live forever in peoples’ minds.”

How Did Raila and Gen Zs Drift Apart?

The strained relationship between Raila and Gen Zs began during the 2024 anti-Finance Bill protests. Many young Kenyans declared that they had taken over the role of the opposition, urging Raila to “rest” from active politics. Although Raila remained a symbol of Kenya’s fight for democracy, a section of Gen Zs accused him of aligning with the government after some of his allies received state appointments.

In December 2024, Raila addressed these allegations directly. “I am not a beneficiary of the Gen Z protest. That is a useless allegation made in the media. I have not benefited. What happened was Ruto said he wanted to involve the larger society in governance and asked if we could give him some people from our party,” he stated.

Ruth also revealed that she wished her brother’s body had been transported by road from Kisumu to Bondo, as their father Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s was, describing the journey as symbolic of the people’s connection to their leaders.

By Risper Akinyi