Raila Odinga’s daughter, Rosemary Odinga, has made a fond recollection of his father, terming him a man who understood her as well as her entire family.

Speaking while eulogising his father at the Nyayo National Stadium on Friday, October 17, 2025, the reserved daughter of Raila admitted that it has been difficult to come to terms with the tragic death of the former Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)leader.

Painful Day

“Today is a painful day for me. Baba was a father to all of us, and I know you all feel the pain we are feeling,”she stated.

“To me, he was my adviser a friend, and also someone who understand me very well, along with my children and my siblings,” she stated.

Rozie, as she is affectionately known within the family, revealed that she got the news of Raila’s demise from his brother, Raila Junior.

She explained that the pain of losing his dad is still shared with Kenyans, thanking the nation for being with them during these tragic times.

News broken

“Junior called me and asked me where i was. I told him i was seated at the table and he asked me to sit down. He told me our father is no longer with us, and until today it is still pains us. Thanks for standing with us, and May God bless Kenya,”she stated.

Her remarks come after his younger brother Raila Junior took over the paraphernalia associated with the family during a solemn ceremony at parliament building earlier in the day.

Junior, who has maintained a low profile just as Rosemary, took the fly whisk and the iconic Jaramogi Oginga cap while paying his final respect to his father.

He proceeded to haul the whisk above his father’s body before waving it sideways as the family members stood beside him.

Succession?

Raila Jnr ended his tribute by bowing before his father’s unmoved figure, an ultimate sign of reverence.

The instruments bear much political relevance in the Luo culture. The whisk, also known as an orengo, is considered a powerful symbol of leadership, authority, and respect traditionally carried by respected individuals, including elders or chiefs.

Raila Jnr became the only surviving son of the departed ODM leader following his eldest brother, Fidel Castro Odinga’s death in January 2015, at the age of 42.