Nairobi Governor Sakaja Johnson has paid an emotional tribute to former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga, describing him not only as a statesman and reformer but as a father who shaped his leadership and values.
Speaking during the unveiling of Raila’s mausoleum, Sakaja said he did not have a chance to eulogise Raila a year ago, adding that while Kenyans have spent the past year mourning his death, the time has now come to build on the legacy he left behind.
“It has been a year exactly one year since Baba left us. I did not have a chance eulogize him.We have mourned for a year, but now we must build on what he left us,” Sakaja said.
The Governor said while many Kenyans knew Raila as a statesman, fighter, reformer and former Prime Minister whose life was closely intertwined with Kenya’s political history, his relationship with him was deeply personal.
“I knew all those things about him, but I also knew him simply as Baba. And for me, that was not a political title. It was more. He was a father to me,” he said.
Sakaja said Raila taught him important lessons about leadership, particularly the courage to stand firm for what one believes in even when others do not immediately understand the cause.
“From Baba, I learned courage. I learned that leadership sometimes means standing alone before others understand what you are fighting for,” he said.
He also recalled Raila’s ability to disagree with others without allowing political differences to become personal hatred.
“I learned that you can disagree fiercely without carrying hatred in your heart,” Sakaja said.
The Governor further praised Raila’s ability to remain connected to ordinary Kenyans, saying his leadership demonstrated that public office should never distance leaders from the people they serve.
“I learned that however high you rise, you must never become too important to sit with ordinary people, listen to them, laugh with them, and understand their struggles,” he said.
Sakaja said Raila’s legacy could not be confined to the mausoleum unveiled in his honour, arguing that his greatest monument was the democratic space enjoyed by Kenyans.
“Baba’s true monument will never be made of stone. His monument is in the democratic space Kenyans enjoy today,” he said.
He also pointed to Raila’s influence on younger leaders and ordinary citizens, saying his legacy lives on among those he encouraged to believe they could serve the country.
“His monument is in the generation of young leaders whom he encouraged to believe that they, too, could serve this country,” Sakaja said.
For Sakaja, however, Raila’s most important legacy was also deeply personal—the private conversations, advice, laughter, correction and encouragement that he received from him.
He thanked the late former Prime Minister for believing in him, guiding him and for the moments that were never witnessed by the public.
“Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for guiding me. Thank you for the moments the public never saw. Thank you for being Baba,” Sakaja said.
Sakaja said he would continue to miss Raila’s voice, humour and courage, comparing the loss to that of a son mourning his father.
“And I will miss you as a son misses a father,” he said.
He pledged that those who were influenced by Raila would continue carrying forward the lessons he imparted.
“But we will stand, and we will carry forward what you taught us courageously,” Sakaja said.
Concluding his tribute, the Governor bid Raila farewell, saying his physical journey had ended but his influence would continue to guide future generations.
