Late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s wife, Ida Odinga, has responded to Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi’s controversial remarks suggesting that the country should move on from her husband, saying those who think Raila is gone will be disappointed.
Speaking on Friday, May 15, during a visit by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology students at Kang’o Ka Jaramogi, Ida defended her husband’s enduring legacy, saying his name continues to dominate national conversations seven months after his death.
“We still hear his name every day. There’s no particular day I’ll switch on to listen to the news without hearing his name being mentioned,” she said.
Drawing from William Shakespeare and African scholar John Mbiti’s concept of the “living dead,” Ida argued that great leaders never truly disappear as long as people continue to remember and speak of them, placing Raila and his father Jaramogi in that category.
“And when he talks of the living dead, I think he’s talking about Raila, talking about Jaramogi, and talking about those great people who have left us physically but whose spirit is here with us,” she stated.
She also appeared to address those who believe Raila’s departure from the scene has freed them politically, saying history has a way of outlasting those who underestimate it.
“Sometimes politicians get very excited because they think he’s gone and they are free. Nothing. We learn from them. This history that they’ve left behind, they are the living dead,” she added.
Her remarks came three days after CS Mbadi sparked a heated debate by declaring that ODM no longer belongs to one family and that leaders should stop invoking Raila’s name to influence party affairs.
“ODM does not belong to a family. You know we have a party where someone, because she is the sister of a party leader, thinks she can also order us around,” Mbadi had said.
“This is post-Raila Odinga’s era. Baba is gone. We should move on from him and focus on ourselves,” he added.
Mbadi’s comments triggered reactions among ODM supporters and leaders, with many interpreting them as a direct dig at Raila’s family and inner circle.
