“A king”, “a hero”, “Nelson Mandela”, “Jesus Christ” — no superlatives were too much for the crowd that came to mourn the death of Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga at his Nairobi home on Wednesday.
That he failed to win the presidency no less than five times is not the point for the fans of “Baba” (father) — his role as a fighter for democracy and champion of his Luo tribe made him a dominant figure in Kenyan politics for decades.
On Wednesday, just hours after his death at 80 at an Indian health retreat, hundreds of his supporters flocked to his residence in the upmarket suburb of Karen.
Many were inconsolable. One man tried to enter on his knees as tearful women screamed “Baba” over and over.
“We need him. He left a void that no one can fill,” said Johnson Omongi, 25, after walking three hours to the home.
“Raila brought us democracy. He suffered a lot to serve us. He was our Jesus Christ,” he added.
None of Odinga’s supporters forgets the eight years in prison he spent under the authoritarian president Daniel arap Moi, from 1982 to 1991.
Nor his support for the 2010 constitution, which transformed Kenya into a more modern democracy.
“He’s my hero. This guy has fought for Kenya for as long as I can remember,” said Ismael Ondego, 42, carrying two of Odinga’s placards bearing the words “One Love”.
– ‘My hero’ –
Odinga lost elections in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022, but became the symbol of democratic opposition for many.
Others accused him of rabble rousing, and denounced his opportunism as he forged alliances with erstwhile rivals, including the current president William Ruto, leaving the country without an effective opposition.
But his fans see it as the work of a man of peace.
“He was courageous enough to shake the hands of the presidents who had stolen his victories,” said Ondego.
“I wanted to see him lead us beyond Ruto. His death has robbed us of our future.”
Many of those at the residence were clearly poor, and their shabby attire stood in stark contrast to the opulence of the leader’s vast estate in Karen, one of the capital’s most desirable neighbourhoods.
Some tried to force their way inside, to the shade of its trees to escape the harsh sun, chanting “This house is not yours” at those who tried to stop them.
Others, bouncing on a trampoline, pinched avocados by the dozen.
“They are enjoying the fruits of our leader,” smiled an Odinga aide, who declined to give her name.
She sat on a plastic chair in the garden of her “king,” as she put it.
“He is my father, my hero, my boss. I lived for him,” she said.
“He called us his children. A hero has fallen.”
