Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga delivered a moving tribute during the State Funeral of his brother, the late Raila Odinga, at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on Friday, October 17.

Taking to the dias, walking in Raila-like body language, donning a Raila-esque Kaunda suit, complete with Baba’s favourite fedora hat, the newly-picked acting leader of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party cut a figure of a man struggling to fill the big shoes left by his younger brother.

A fact he admitted almost immediately, perhaps admitting that maybe, just maybe, Raila’s shoes in Kenya’s political arena may never be fully filled.

“Even though my brother was almost the same age as me but younger than me, I respected him as my leader in the political arena. I want to thank my party, ODM, for making me the acting Party Leader of ODM, the oldest and the largest party in East and Central Africa,” Oburu told thousands of enthusiastic mourners at the fully-packed stadium. “I will take that mantle with vigour and I must assure you, my colleagues, that I will not dissapoint. Even though the shoes of Raila are too big to be filled, but I just want to try my best.”

Yet even in his tribute, Oburu painted his brother, Raila, as a man who always took the lead in each and every aspect of life growing up as kids—an excellent cook, a revered firewood fetcher, a brilliant student who matured faster than his actual years, and the number one sportsman.

“Raila knew how to cook. My mother told us that you my boys are also my girls. You must learn to fetch firewood, cook and washing clothes. Raila was best at all those things. Raila was also best in class. Me I was average, I would come number 5, number 4, number 3 sometimes if I did well, but Raila was always number 1 in class.

“Raila was my agemate, he was my advisor and he was my confidant…everything including business partner. We grew up more or less like twins because the difference between me and my brother is only one year and two months. Unfortunately, my brother passed away on my birthday.

“Raila was a sportsman, he used to do triple jump, football and pole vault. But I was better than him in jumping and in pole vault,” Oburu jested, as the crowd cheered in amusement and admiration.

Born in Maseno, an area within modern-day Kisumu County, but bred in Sakwa, a village in Bondo, modern-day Siaya County, the three Odinga brothers grew up just like normal mwananchi kids, yet their father was, well, Kenya’s first vice president Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.

“We were born in Maseno, but my brother and I grew up in Sakwa, Bondo. During that time, we were only three boys, and our mother was a disciplinarian more than our father… My brother loved justice from the beginning. He loved to listen to news. One day, in standard three, he was late in school and when the teacher asked him what he was doing, he said he wanted to hear news.”

Did Oburu just imply that Raila would not mind to go physical, throw a punch or two during his youthful years if wronged? Be the judge…

“Raila was a no-nonsense man, he entertained no mediocrity. If you came across him with lies or something mediocre, his left hand was very first to teach you a lesson not to tell lies. He protected me and my brother the late Ogolla, because he was more brave in confronting anybody who attacked us!”