Tears of a statesman: The story behind Raila’s lifelong eye problem
By Mabonga Makhanu, October 16, 2025As the curtain closes on the life of the former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, few know the origin of his eye problem.
Raila had always struggled with an eye condition that caused him to shed tears involuntarily.
He was often seen with a handkerchief, constantly wiping his tears, something that became a subject of political mockery. His critics frequently imitated him, especially the way he paused during speeches to take out his handkerchief and wipe his tears.
Many of his supporters believed that the problem was caused by his long history of political activism and frequent participation in demonstrations, a defining aspect of his career during which he was often exposed to tear gas.
They thought that this exposure might have damaged his lacrimal ducts, leading to the involuntary tearing. However, according to Raila’s own narration, this was not the case.
The orign
The issue dates back to the Nyayo Torture Chambers, where he was detained for over seven years without trial after being implicated in the 1982 coup attempt against the Moi regime.
He underwent unimaginable suffering while in detention. While being unveiled as the Azimio presidential candidate at Kasarani Stadium in 2021, Raila revealed to the nation that his tears were a reminder of the torture he endured during those years, the tears he still wipes with his handkerchief at every public occasion.
“The tears from the torture chambers are still running, as you can tell from the handkerchief that never leaves my hand,” Raila said.
Hashi’s account
One of his long-time friends, Ahmed Hashi, gave an explanation that aligns with Raila’s own account of the cause of his eye problem.
During an interview, Hashi recalled an incident where, in a meeting, the former Prime Minister kept touching the corner of his eye as he often did, trying to wipe away tears.
Hashi offered him a clean handkerchief, and later, when he asked about the issue, Raila explained that while he was in prison, he was not exposed to enough sunlight, which damaged his lacrimal glands and ducts, causing him to shed tears involuntarily.
“I remember one day during a meeting, I noticed that Raila kept on touching the corner of his eye, so I went and got him a clean handkerchief from my car and gave it to him. Later, when I asked him why he was doing that, he said that when he was in prison, he was not exposed to enough sunlight, so the ducts in his eyes exploded and could not be fixed. His tears would just come down. He went through a lot of suffering,” Hashi stated.
This explains the long-term suffering that Raila was forced to live with throughout his entire political life, something that made Kenyans view him as a true statesman and the face of Kenya’s Second Liberation.
Physiology of the eye
According to the physiology of the eye, tears are produced by the lacrimal glands after being stimulated by the brain whenever there is a need, such as when a foreign object enters the eye or when one is emotionally overwhelmed or irritated.
The tears then flow through the lacrimal ducts to cleanse or moisturise the eye.
However, in Raila’s case, since the glands and ducts were damaged, the coordination between the brain and eyes was lost. This made the tearing involuntary, as his eyes could no longer regulate when tears were needed.
Such instances will be greatly missed by Kenyans. His ever-present handkerchief became his signature trait, a symbol that made him more relatable to the people.
The news of his demise has brought the entire country to a standstill, with the government declaring a seven-day national mourning period in honour of the former Prime Minister.
Perhaps the tears that once flowed involuntarily from Raila Odinga, born of pain, torture, and sacrifice during his fight for Kenya, have now become the tears Kenyans must forever shed, mourning the demise and absence of a man many regarded as a true statesman.