The Anglican Bishop David Kodia has disclosed how Raila Odinga got into problems due to his lack of a recognisable Christian name.

Speaking during the burial service on Sunday, October 18, 2025, Kodia revealed that a white priest had refused to baptise Raila for lacking a name associated with Christianity.

“Raila was a faithful member of this diocese and the parish in Nyamira. He was a faithful member. His death is a great loss to the church because of the enormous presence of his family in the church,” he stated.

Raila was given the name Raila Amolo Odinga by his parents, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Mary Ajuma Odinga, at his birth on January 7, 1945.

Controversial baptism

“He was baptised under controversial circumstances. A white priest refused to baptise him because his father named him Raila Amollo Odinga instead of a John or David or something else,” he stated.

He stated that it took the intervention of the Canterbury archbishop Justin Welby, who served as the 105th archbishop of the church, to confirm him as a full member, reclaim his full status, and ultimately recognised as a full Anglican member.

Kodia, therefore, concluded that the deceased warranted the full Christian burial courtesy of his church, stressing that had there been no constraints of time, the session would have included the holy communion.

“We are giving him a full Christian burial. If we had time like any other ordinary funeral, we would have a holy communion here as a way of send-off,” he affirmed.

His brief remark came days after he stirred the masses at Nyayo Stadium during Raila Odinga’s state funeral on Friday.

In his sermon, he condemned acts often associated with Kenyan politicians – things he described as evil and contrary to what Raila Odinga stood for.

“Baba is one such politician who never used the power of money to intimidate people. Baba never used the power of his wallet as a convincing tool on others, but he used the power of persuasion. He used the power of the word.”