Embakasi East Member of Parliament (MP) Babu Owino has conveyed his gratitude to Winnie Odinga for acknowledging his presence at the burial of her aunt Beryl Odinga in Bondo on Saturday, December 6, 2025.

Taking to his social media, Babu thanked Winnie for calling him out to greet the mourners by waving, as the lawmaker sat quietly among the guests in attendance during the ceremony of the late Raila Odinga’s sister.

“Thank you, Winney Odinga. You are such a darling,” he stated.

Facing ostracism?

Babu, perceived as a rebel within the ODM by a section of the leaders for his abrasive approach and politics, has recently been ostracised within the ODM fraternity, with the exclusive burial function further compounding his chances to address the mourners.

He later took to his Facebook, claiming that some unnamed person did not want him to speak at the burial.

His message parted with a veiled jab at the unnamed persons, stating that Winnie saw through their intentions by acknowledging his presence.

“You could see through their dark hearts,” his message to Winnie parted.

In a rare moment of solidarity with the young politician, Winnie also urged the ODM party to listen to the voices of the youth, stressing that they remain eager to make their mark when given the chance to lead.

Rising to the podium on the invitation of her mom, Winnie squeezed in a brief mention of the MP, whom she described as her friend.

“Unity means we allow people to talk, even those whom you don’t like. So I want my friend to just stand and wave; that is my friend Babu Owino, over there,” she stated.

The youngest daughter of the late Raila Odinga also wowed the crowds with one of his father’s most famous anecdotes of the family lineage.

She shifted the sombre mood with a masterful imitation of one of her father’s speeches that kept the crowds hanging on to his words in rallies.

Family lineage

“Junior talked about our family to the 13th generation. But Baba and I studied it further to our origins in Bahr El Ghazal in South Sudan,” she said.

She went on to state the famous Raila lines about his “Wanga origin from Wanga to Matara to Raila.