Raila died on my birthday, Oburu tell mourners
In a lighter moment that sent the crowd roaring with laughter, Oburu ended his tribute by introducing his two wives, saying he feared domestic consequences if he did not
Siaya Senator Oburu Oginga and the only surviving brother to the late Raila Odinga has mourners during the state funeral of his brother with a deeply emotional revelation that the former Prime Minister passed away on his birthday, October 15.
Speaking today during the State Funeral service at Nyayo Stadium, Oburu said the coincidence had turned what was once a day of celebration into one of pain and lasting reflection.
“My brother passed on on my birthday, which is October 15, 1943. He was more than a brother to me, he was my friend, he was my age mate, he was my adviser, and he was my confidant, and he was everything, including business partnership,” he said.
Oburu described a bond that began in childhood and never wavered. The two grew up closely, sharing nearly everything, with just a year and two months between them.
“We grew up together more or less as twins,” he said, recalling how their mother’s strict discipline shaped their upbringing.
The Senator narrated how, despite being boys, they were taught all household chores, thanks to their grandmother’s insistence that they should be as capable as girls in the home.
“Our father’s mother told us that you, my boys, you are also my girls. You must learn to fetch firewood, you must learn to cook. You must learn to prepare everything, including washing clothes and ironing and so on. Raila was best at all those things,” Oburu said.
He spoke fondly of Raila’s brilliance in school, noting that he consistently excelled in academics.
“For me, I was always average. I could be number five, number four, number three, sometimes if I did well, but Raila was always number one,” he recalled with a smile.
Even as adults, their relationship remained strong, with Raila guiding him in politics and life. “Even though my brother was almost the same age as me, but younger than me, I can tell you that I respected him as my leader in the political arena,” Oburu said.
Expressing gratitude to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Oburu thanked the party for trusting him to take over leadership following Raila’s death.
“I want to thank my party, ODM, for making me the acting party leader of ODM, the oldest and the largest party in East and Central Africa. I will take that mantle with vigour, and I will, I must assure you, my colleagues, that I will not disappoint, even though the shoes of Raila are too big to be filled. But I just want to try my best. I want to try my best,” he said.
In a lighter moment that sent the crowd roaring with laughter, Oburu ended his tribute by introducing his two wives, saying he feared domestic consequences if he did not.
“If I don’t introduce them to you, they might feel jealous and refuse to give me food,” he joked. He first introduced his first wife, Dr Ann Ayoo Oburu, a paediatrician.
“This is the lady who took me out of boyhood,” he said fondly as she joined him on stage.
Then, turning to his second wife, he added amid cheers, “She is Judith Oburu — she works with NSSF and is a qualified accountant.
I thought that at my age, I didn’t want Ann to scratch me or massage me, so I brought her a helper.”
The crowd erupted in laughter as Oburu held Judith’s hand high in the air, momentarily turning the sombre ceremony into one of warmth and humour — a reflection of the Odinga family’s enduring spirit even in mourning.
