Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s daughter, Winnie Odinga, has shared the heartbreaking details of her father’s final moments, revealing that he died in her arms while they were taking a walk in India.
Speaking during her father’s State Funeral at the Nyayo National Stadium on Friday, October 17, 2025, Winnie refuted widespread social media rumours that Raila had been bedridden prior to his death.
“I was with him in India when he took his last breath. He died in my arms, but he did not die as people have been saying on social media,” she said emotionally.
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Winnie explained that her father had been in good spirits and was determined to regain his strength through daily walks.
“Every day he was waking up and walking, and every day he would do one round, the next day he would push two rounds. That morning, he pushed to five rounds. He died strong, with dignity, and with pride.”
The youngest of the Odinga siblings described herself as “the luckiest girl in the world” for having such a father, adding that only her siblings — Fidel, Rosemary, and Raila Junior — shared in that privilege.
Since Raila’s passing, Winnie has been widely praised for her courage and composure. On Thursday morning, she was seen carrying her father’s signature white fedora as the body arrived aboard RAO001 from India.
She later presented the hat to her mother, Mama Ida Odinga, in a deeply emotional moment that moved Kenyans across the country.
Winnie, who was the last to eulogise her father, followed her sister Rosemary, who remembered Raila as both a father and a mentor.
“Baba was not only my advisor but also my friend. I remember the moment I received the news. I was seated at the table, just finishing my breakfast, when my younger brother called and asked where I was. I told him I was sitting at the table, and he then asked me to sit down,” Rosemary recalled.
Raila Junior, the only remaining son of the family, acknowledged the heavy responsibility that now rests on his shoulders following the deaths of his father and his elder brother Fidel.
“I am very alive to the fact that with my brother Fidel gone, I remain the gentleman of the family. Dad, I want to assure you that I will take care of our family — Mum, Rosie, Winnie — and the larger political family. Thank you for the gift of life and for giving me your name, and for never heaping the weight of it on me,” he said.
The Odinga family’s moving tributes painted a picture of a devoted father and national icon who lived and died with dignity — a man whose influence extended far beyond politics into the hearts of millions of Kenyans.