Siaya County Governor James Orengo delivered a powerful eulogy as a tribute to a lifelong friend, Raila Odinga.
Governor Orengo, a veteran politician and senior counsel, looked back on the decades-long partnership that saw the two men face down the repressive single-party regime in their fight for a democratic Kenya.
Recalling the darkest days of the struggle for multiparty democracy, Governor Orengo painted a vivid picture of the tribulations they endured. “We were teargassed for fighting for that freedom,” he recalled to the gathered mourners.
Orengo emphasized the contribution of the late Odinga to the nation’s democratic gains, stating, “Without Raila Amolo Odinga, we would not be having this constitution.”
He cautioned the current political class against the dangers of weakening democratic institutions. He pleaded with leaders “to not kill political parties,” warning that such actions would lead to a repeat of bleak history.
Orengo fondly remembered Raila as “a fighter for justice, a fighter for democracy, all his life.” This dedication to justice, the Governor insisted, was the core of Raila’s being.
The Siaya Governor insisted and reiterated that Odinga’s votes were stolen in the contested 2007-2008 elections, and still referred to his fallen friend as “the people’s president.”
In the social media space, people fondly remember the friendship between Raila and Orengo that has endured years of hardships.
“You stood with him in good and hard times, you represented him in legal cases, you were not only a friend to him, you were a brother,” one person wrote under James Orengo’s post on X regarding the passing of Raila Odinga on 15th October 2025.
