The story of Rt. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga is one that cannot be told without speaking of courage, conviction, and an unwavering commitment to Africa’s destiny. I had the privilege and honor of crossing paths with this African giant not in the heat of Kenyan politics, but in the quiet yet defining corridors of continental development.

My first close interaction with Baba — as many affectionately called him — was in 2018, the year after I was appointed as the Coordinator of the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA). It was also the year when Raila Odinga was appointed as the African Union’s High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa, a position that he carried not as a title, but as a mission to unite, build, and connect Africa.

In that same year, PIDA Week was commemorated in the majestic city of Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. It was at this gathering that I first saw the character of the man behind the political legend.

During a media breakfast, a Zimbabwean minister launched a sharp attack on Botswana. At that moment, I laid aside my continental diplomatic caution, my age, and my positional restraint — and I defended my country with conviction and clarity. In that room, full of senior officials and powerful voices, one man noticed not just my words, but the courage behind them — Raila Odinga.

Later that day, he requested that my accommodation be moved from outside Elephant Hills Hotel to the same hotel where he stayed. “If you are walking with me, you will stay where I stay,” he said, not as a command but as a gesture of mentorship. Even at the high table, when protocol had me seated behind him, Raila insisted: “No. Seat him next to me. I want to consult him time and again.”

It was then that he asked me quietly, “Young man, do you plan to run for office one day?” And I said, “Yes.” He smiled and said words that I only fully understood years later:

“African politics is not for the fainthearted. It’s for people who know that witchcraft is not always in the pot — sometimes it’s in tribal alliances, whispers in corridors, and calculated silences. When injustice is done to someone deemed ‘opposition,’ people ululate out of fear of victimization.”

In 2023, when a cabinet minister in my own country believed I was preparing to stand against her, she wielded her power to use intelligence directorates and police units to harass me. And in that season, I understood — deeply — what Raila meant. This was a man who had lived through detention, political betrayals, and silenced tears, yet still emerged with grace, wisdom, and laughter.

Raila Odinga was more than a politician; he was a statesman, a father, and a mentor. He introduced me to His Excellency Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, the former Prime Minister of Niger, who later became instrumental in advising me on my PhD dissertation. That was Raila — a connector of people, a bridge builder. He was the glue that Africa often needed but never fully utilized.

Even when he stood to contest for the position of Chairperson of the African Union Commission, I rallied behind him. In China, during a strategic meeting, I looked him in the eye and said with boldness, “Baba, Djibouti will get it.” And instead of anger or offense, Raila responded with a chuckle and a nod. He valued truth more than flattery. He embraced constructive criticism as a path toward growth — a rare trait in leadership.

What many did not know about Raila Odinga was the depth of his silent pain. He carried wounds that many never saw. He cried in silence but smiled in public. He bore the weight of Kenya’s hopes and Africa’s expectations with grace. He understood betrayal but chose forgiveness. He knew suffering yet still loved people fiercely.

Today, as we lay him to rest in the land of his fathers, Kenya does not just bury a man — Africa buries a legacy. A legacy of courage, of vision, of a voice that refused to be silenced.

To Mama Ida, to his family, to the people of Kenya and Africa at large, I say: Poleni sana. My deepest condolences.
May his spirit of unity, resilience, and truth live on in every young African who dreams of a better continent.

Baba once told me, “Power is not about position, it is about service.”
He served. He fought. He believed.

And as we mourn him today, we also celebrate the life of a lion who roared not for himself but for his people.

Rest in power, Rt. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga.
May your tears water the seeds of a better Africa.
May your smile continue to inspire courage in the next generation of African leaders.
May your spirit live on.