Former Meru governor Kiraitu Murungi and a political veteran has joined Kenyans to mourn the death of Former Prime minister Raila Amolo Odinga pleading with the government to honour his effort .
“Is with a heavy heart and profound sorrow that I extend my deepest condolences to Mama Ida Odinga, the family, friends, and the entire nation following the passing the former Prime Minister of the Republic of Kenya, a fearless patriot and one of the most consequential leaders in our nation’s history,” said Kiraitu .
In his statement he regretted how cruel hand of death has snatched a man whose very name is synonymous with struggle, reform,resilience and a man who bore the bruises of our political journey toward democracy and justice.
” Raila is a man who gave his life not in years alone, but in sacrifice to the liberation of our people,” said Kiraitu and his former lawyer .
He noted that he has known Raila for over four decades crossed paths together during the turbulent 1980s when he represent him legally after his unjust detention without trial at Shimo la Tewa.
” We have shared painful political journey blossomed through the heat of the Second Liberation in the 1990s, to our time as Members of Parliament (1992–2002), as ministers in President Kibaki’s administration (2003–2005), and through his transformative tenure as Prime Minister (2008–2013),” noted Kiraitu.
He added together they have championed the birth of a new constitutional order in 2010 fighting for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) and sting by him when he ran for presidency under the Azimio la Umoja banner in 2022.
His further added the ODM leader political journey was not one of comfort or convenience but was marred with painful pilgrimage.
” Raila journey has not been easy but a path riddled with prison cells, betrayals, broken promises, and stolen victories but Raila never gave up he reimagined, reorganized, and resumed his mission again and again because for him, the dream of a better Kenya was never optional,” lamented Kiraitu.
He noted the former presidential candidate marched, not just for himself, but for millions of the voiceless,the forgotten and for the future of the nation.
“Today, as we mourn him, we must also reflect on the stark contrast between the towering figure that he was and the fractured state of our current opposition. In an era where political discourse has devolved into noisy theatrics and visionless bickering, Raila stood apart ,a statesman with a plan, a unifier in times of division and a reformer who never settled for mediocrity,” he added.
He continued to say Raila dared to dream of a Kenya beyond ethnic enclaves, beyond corruption, beyond the rot of impunity ,ceaseless combat with the forces of dictatorship, economic inequality, and tribalism defined his life’s work.
“And now that he is gone, we must ask Will we allow Raila to die in vain ?
We must honour his legacy not with mere words, but with renewed commitment to his ideals unity, justice, equity, and a Kenya that works for all. His memory must not fade into ceremonial praise. It must light the fire of transformation in every young Kenyan. It must jolt our leaders into conscience,”noted the former minister .
