A little over a week after Kenyans gathered in Bondo to mark the first anniversary of Raila Amollo Odinga’s death, I find myself reflecting less on the tributes paid to Baba and more on the political lessons that emerged from the occasion. As Mark Antony declares in William Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar, I come to remember Raila, not merely to praise him. Remembering a man of his stature requires us to examine his legacy honestly, including the people who stood beside him.
The anniversary on October 15, 2026, was an important moment for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and the wider political community. It exposed the tensions surrounding Raila’s legacy and the contest over the future of a party he spent decades building. When a great political leader dies, those who were not necessarily closest to him can sometimes position themselves at the centre of his legacy, pushing aside the people who shared his struggles and understood his political convictions. In my view, what unfolded around Baba’s anniversary offered a glimpse of that troubling reality.
Political legacies, like property, can become objects of fierce competition after their owners are gone. In Raila’s case, the inheritance is not simply material. It is ODM, a political movement nurtured through years of sacrifice, electoral contests, personal risks and difficult compromises. The question is whether those now seeking influence over the party are committed to preserving what Raila built or are primarily interested in the political advantages that come with controlling it.
It is against this background that I find the absence of Junet Mohammed from the anniversary particularly difficult to understand.
Junet was among the politicians widely regarded as close to Raila and entrusted with important responsibilities within his political camp. Their relationship was significant, extending beyond the ordinary interactions between a party leader and a political operative. Junet benefited politically from his association with Baba and Raila’s confidence in him helped establish his standing within ODM and national politics.
I therefore find it difficult to accept that the presence of Rigathi Gachagua, or political disagreements involving him, would provide a sufficient explanation for missing an occasion dedicated to remembering Raila. I do not presume to know Junet’s private reasons for not attending. Nor should his absence, on its own, be treated as proof of betrayal. But the circumstances invite a legitimate question: What does loyalty to a political mentor mean when that mentor is no longer alive to demand it?
Raila’s own political history makes this question even more compelling. He endured detention under the government of Daniel arap Moi and lived through years of political persecution. He also experienced the personal pain of being unable to attend his mother’s burial while detained. He once narrated that experience to me at his Opoda Farm home in Bondo. Hearing him recount it privately brought home the depth of the suffering he had endured.
Yet Raila eventually found the political courage to work with Moi. He also extended a hand to Mwai Kibaki after the bitterly disputed 2007 presidential election, which triggered widespread violence and left many Kenyans dead or displaced. Later, he worked with Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto despite the bitter political history and disagreements that had defined their relationships.
One does not have to agree with every political compromise Raila made to recognise his capacity to place national and political considerations above personal grievances. He repeatedly demonstrated that yesterday’s adversaries could become tomorrow’s partners when circumstances demanded it.
Against that record, I struggle to understand why disagreements with another political figure should outweigh the obligation to honour the man who helped shape one’s political journey. Junet may have reasons known to him, and fairness requires that those reasons not be invented. Nevertheless, the absence raises questions about whether some of those who benefited most from Raila fully understood the values that informed his politics.
This is not merely about Junet. It is about the wider struggle for ODM and the political inheritance left behind by Baba. Some individuals who now speak loudly about the party’s future were not necessarily at the forefront of the sacrifices through which it was built. Their present influence should not automatically be confused with a demonstrated commitment to Raila’s ideals.
The events surrounding the anniversary also brought attention to Edwin Sifuna, ODM’s secretary-general, whose political standing has increasingly become part of the debate about the party’s future. Amid the tensions, Sifuna appeared, in my assessment, to embody the spirit of a younger generation determined to defend the political identity associated with Raila.
That does not automatically make him Raila’s rightful successor, nor does it establish that he commands the support required to lead ODM or become its presidential candidate. Such questions must ultimately be settled through legitimate party processes, political organisation and the judgment of voters. But Sifuna’s conduct during a difficult moment may strengthen his standing among those who believe Raila’s legacy should not be surrendered to political convenience.
As the country approaches the 2027 General Election, the contest over ODM’s direction will become increasingly consequential. I would not be surprised if Sifuna emerged as a serious contender for a larger national role, potentially including the presidential contest. That remains a political possibility, not an established outcome.
The deeper lesson is that proximity to a great leader does not necessarily translate into loyalty to his principles. Raila’s legacy belongs neither exclusively to his political associates nor to those who benefited most directly from his leadership. It belongs also to the millions of Kenyans who believed in his cause and who continue to associate him with democratic struggle, political inclusion and the pursuit of a fairer country.
Baba is gone, but the questions surrounding his political inheritance remain. Those who claim to defend his legacy must demonstrate that commitment through their actions, not merely their words. And as ODM confronts its future, Kenyans will be watching to see who is prepared to preserve the movement Raila built and who is interested primarily in inheriting its power.
History will judge them accordingly.
