Raila: Rights defender kept the wrong company in his last years
Opinion
By
Kutete Matimbai
| Oct 20, 2025
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's family during the funeral service at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University in Bondo, on October 19, 2025. [PCS]
Figuratively, the late Raila Odinga, who was buried on Sunday, died while in the wrong company. From the decorated freedom fighter that he is believed to have been, the people in charge of his funeral were the most unqualified to eulogise him.
Lets begin with the “Breaking News” at the State House. Something did not seem right. The content and delivery of the “Breaking News” was well-rehearsed poetry, not spontaneous delivery of heart-breaking information. The language employed was a little too flowery, coming soon after the news of his death in India was received.
That aside, Raila lived a chequered life, having spent all his energy fighting bad governance and he had scars to show for it. He was beaten up, was jailed, exiled, humiliated and he believed that his presidential election victories were blatantly stolen. But somehow, he embraced his tormentors and shook hands with them.
Following his death, a public holiday and seven days mourning were declared, the national flag flew at half-mast and a State funeral was organised in his honour. It is ironic that all these came from a government that tramples on human rights and basic freedoms. And even as Kenyans mourned Raila, the President signed into law eight pieces of legislation that offend our democratic gains.
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Prof Mutua Makau, before he converted from Paul to Saul, wrote in 2020: “Somebody thinks I can work for Ruto? (excuse me while I laugh).” He famously concluded: “There’s nary a scintilla of evidence that Mr Ruto has ever-even once-lifted his finger to fight for democracy or human rights in Kenya. Not once. Nada. I challenge anyone to produce such evidence. In fact, Mr Ruto has always been on the wrong side of history. …an important anti-reform, anti-democratic voice. He’s never seen a human right he didn’t want to stifle.
This is the company that Raila, the hitherto foremost defender of human rights, chose to keep in his sunset years. This is the group that terrorised Raila and other reform activists under the banner of YK 92 during the quest for multi-party democracy.
Raila and other pro-democracy luminaries founded ODM in the wake of the constitutional referendum in 2005. The original ideology of ODM was social justice and democracy, guided by the core values of justice, equality and democratic governance. It is ironic that the funeral of the leader of such a carefully crafted political movement was hijacked by individuals who have made it their business to stifle democracy, sneer at justice, trample on human rights and fine-tune a culture of social-political inequality.
That the funeral of Raila was managed by Kenya Kwanza was surely an anti-climax. The values that birthed ODM and what keeps Kenya Kwanza alive are worlds apart. The leadership of Kenya Kwanza have never hidden their disdain for Raila. They called him the nastiest names, called for his arrest and detention and plotted the cruelest manoeuvres against him. It is tough accepting that Raila’s brief dalliance with Kenya Kwanza is enough to have morphed him from a human rights advocate to a plaything of his former tormentors.
It is truly heartbreaking listening to Kenya Kwanza leaders saying all the good things about Raila. These are people who can never be sincere in their hollow praise of Raila.
Finally, considering Raila's stature, evidenced by huge crowds that turned up recieve his body after it arrived from India, the time allocated for mourning him was obviously insufficient. We have been told that Raila left a will declaring that he should be buried 72 hours after his death. But this is one of the moments when a dead man's “wish” should not have been honoured for being unreasonable. Raila knew the kind of fanatical following and personality cult he had cultivated over the years. I doubt he consciously made the “will” because he knew that it would be impossible to honour it as has been demonstrated so far. Raila's rushed burial is clearly a disservice to him and Kenya.
Mr Kutete is a lawyer