BONDO, Siaya County, Oct 19 — Ida Odinga paid a heartfelt tribute to her late husband on Sunday, describing Raila Odinga as a man who balanced a vast public life with deep commitment to family, and urging leaders to put the national interest first in honour of his legacy.
“Raila always knew how to balance his life. He was more in public, but we still got our time as a family,” she said. “He attended to all of us individually—his immediate family, brothers, sisters, grandchildren and all. He was an engineer by training, but we all came to know him more as a political engineer.”
Reflecting on their 52-year marriage, Ida said: “We had our ups and downs, but we knew how to deal with our issues. He was my friend and confidant always.” She added: “I surrender him today to eternity, and I know he is in a good place. May he rest in peace in heaven, and when my time comes, I will join him there.”
Ida thanked President William Ruto for the scale of the State funeral, calling it unprecedented in the region. “Thank you, Mr President. This kind of State funeral has never been seen in this region,” she said.
She closed with a call for national cohesion. “I am calling on all of us—and leaders—to maintain unity,” Ida said. “Leaders must put the national interest first for Kenya’s development and growth, because that was Raila’s wish.”
Raila Odinga, 80, died earlier this week in India and was accorded a state funeral at his Bondo home attended by thousands of mourners and dignitaries led by President Ruto, former President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Nigerian president Olusegun Obasanjo.
