Ida Odinga has spoken publicly for the first time about the circumstances surrounding her husband Raila Odinga’s death, sharing details of his final days on Wednesday, October 14, on the eve of the first anniversary of his passing.
The former prime minister had travelled to India for what his widow described as a routine medical check-up rather than an emergency visit. Ida said the nature of the trip was not alarming enough for her to accompany him.
“There was nothing serious. Had it been that serious, I would have gone with him. I would not have left him alone,” she said in an interview with Citizen TV.
Raila’s Kerala Holiday and Request to Family
Doctors examined Raila over four days and discharged him in good health. Rather than heading straight back to Nairobi, he chose to spend time in Kerala, a destination he associated with rest and recuperation.
“He went to the hospital, and they did a check on him for four days, and they declared a clean bill of health. After that, he was supposed to come back, but then he said he wanted to take a short holiday in Kerala,” Ida recalled.
Around that same time, Raila extended an invitation to his family to join him in Dubai for a holiday. His son Jun and Junior’s family had already made their way to Dubai, while his daughter Rosemary was preparing to travel there with her own family.
Ida was the only family member who did not make the trip, having stayed in Nairobi to attend to pressing obligations she could not set aside.
“I was the only one left behind, and I remained behind because there were so many things I had to catch up with as I remained in Nairobi,” she said.
Her account paints a picture of a family looking forward to a reunion, gathered around a man who had just been declared well and was planning a leisurely break with those closest to him.
