One year after the nation mourned the loss of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, his widow Mama Ida Odinga has broken her silence on the painful details of his final hours, revealing for the first time exactly how she received the news of his death.
Speaking to Citizen TV on Wednesday, October 14, the day before Kenya officially marks the first anniversary of Raila’s passing, Ida described the events leading up to his death with quiet clarity.
Raila had travelled to Kerala, India, for what she emphasised was a routine medical visit, not an emergency admission.
Doctors there had reportedly given him a clean bill of health, and nothing in their last conversation hinted at what was to come.
Raila Odinga’s talk with Ida the night before he passed away
Ida stated that there was no sign at all that her husband would pass away following the conversation they had on the eve of his passing.
“Now, the eve before he passed on, we talked quite a lot, and we were just talking about ordinary things. There was nothing. There was no alarm. There was nothing that could suggest that he was unwell, and even he assured me he was very fine. There was nothing wrong,” Ida recounted.
The following morning, a call from Raila’s sister, Dr. Akina, set off a chain of frantic attempts to reach those with him in India. Akina asked Ida to contact their other sister, Ruth Ayambo, who was travelling with Raila.
Unable to reach Ruth, Ida turned to his daughter
Winnie, who was also in India at the time. Winnie told her that Raila had collapsed during a morning walk and that medical staff were working to resuscitate him. Ida said she was stunned by the word itself.
“I said, ‘Resuscitate?’ She said, ‘Yes, they’re taking him to the ICU and they’re trying to resuscitate him, but I’ll keep you informed.'”
Ten minutes passed. Then Winnie called again.
“Mom, we’ve lost the battle,” she said. And when Ida pressed her, unsure of what she was hearing, Winnie told her plainly: “Dad is gone.”
“And that is how I received the news,” Ida said. “It has not been very easy.”
Kenya marks the first anniversary of Raila Odinga’s death on October 15, with a celebration of his life planned at the family home in Bondo, Siaya County.
