Oburu Odinga recalls painful moments visiting Raila at Kamiti Prison
By Kiprono Keileb, October 19, 2025Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga, during the burial of his late brother, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, in Bondo, gave a moving recollection of one of the most painful moments his family ever endured, the aftermath of the 1982 attempted coup, as he remembered his brother.
Speaking with emotion on Sunday, October 19, 2025, Oburu narrated how he visited his younger brother at Kamiti Maximum Prison, only to find him dressed in a black uniform, a colour reserved for those on death row. The memory, he said, remains deeply etched in his mind.
“In 1982, when there was an attempted coup and my brother was arrested and charged with treason, I tell you that was another sad moment for us,” Oburu said, his voice heavy with emotion.
He went on to describe the shocking moment he saw Raila in prison, dressed in black and facing the possibility of execution.
“I went to see my brother at Kamiti Prisons, and when he was in a black uniform, which is for the people on death row, I saw him in that uniform, and I cried,” he recounted.
Despite the grim situation, Raila’s reaction caught him by surprise. According to Oburu, Raila appeared calm and even laughed at the situation, offering his brother comfort instead of despair.
“He was laughing and telling me those things are nothing and all will go. I asked him how that would go, and you are on death row. I was shaken when I saw him there.” Oburu said.
Oburu said that moment defined Raila’s courage and resilience, a man who never allowed fear to control him, even in the darkest times.
“He never feared anything; even during times he was thrown with tear gas, he did not fear,” he said.
The emotional tribute painted a rare, deeply personal picture of the man Kenyans have long known as a fearless reformist. For Oburu, it was not just a political story but the memory of a brother who remained unshaken in the face of death, a reminder of Raila’s lifelong courage in fighting for Kenya’s democracy.