Oburu Oginga on Raila Odinga's chances, political vigour and family

Dr Oburu Odinga during an interview. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

As campaigns for Azimio la Umoja presidential nominee Raila Odinga peak, the standing of his elder brother, Dr Oburu Oginga, has come under close scrutiny with opinion divided over his contribution towards his brother’s overall success at the ballot come August 9.  

Dr Oginga, who, since the death of Kenya’s first Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga in 1994, has been head of the Odinga family, is apparently also busy mounting parallel campaigns for his own senatorial bid. The member of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) is just one of the Odingas engrossed in campaigns to get elected, even as Raila seeks approval of the same voters in his rural backyard to clinch the top seat. 

Other members of the Odinga family seeking elective seats on Raila’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) include his sister Ruth, who is eyeing the seat for Kisumu County MP, his brother Omondi Odinga, who is vying for Milimani Market ward seat in Kisumu Central constituency, where Dr Oginga’s son, Elijah, also hopes to dislodge current area MP, Fred Ouda. Another son of Dr Oginga, Jaoko, who had initially expressed interest in running for the Langata parliamentary seat in Nairobi, has since dropped the bid.

Yesterday, Dr Oginga categorically told The Standard that as head of the Odinga family, he was not going to call a meeting to dissuade members against exercising their democratic right or suppress their political ambitions “simply because they are Odingas”. 

The reaction of Dr Oginga follows murmurs of disapproval from his supporters, especially political rivals of his siblings and nephew, who are vying for various seats, over the growing interest of the Odingas in this year’s polls. Except for a period between 1994 and 2007, when he has sailed comfortable to Parliament, Raila’s elder brother has twice required help to get in Parliament – as Nominated MP in 2013 and to East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) in 2017.

In an exclusive interview with The Standard, Dr Oginga yesterday denied that he was playing the ‘’spoiler’’ in his younger brother’s fifth stab at the presidency:

“My role is complementary. I want, for instance, to be Senator because Raila is going to be President. Senate is where all the stakes in the presidency are nurtured, negotiated and protected. It is important for the President to have reliable supporters in this House and that is why I am offering myself for a seat in the Senate”.

Hounded by the colonial Government, and pursued and jailed by the successive post-independence governments, the Odingas over the years opted for political jobs as Members of Parliament.

Efforts by the older Odinga to become President never materialised and his more politically active second born son, Raila, has over the years emerged to become a top presidential contender. He is not there, just yet, and his supporters are getting restless that his journey may be slowed down or even sabotaged by members of his own family.

Dr Oginga, for instance, scored straight “A” grades in national primary examinations of 1960, but was denied admission at the prestigious Alliance High School because authorities feared that “like his father, he would poison the student body”

And even pursuing studies overseas in Germany, the Odinga sons could not secure employment as there were rumours they had undertaken military and socialist studies in Russia. And despite being among the few holders of a PhD in the early 1970s, Dr Oginga was unable to get a serious job in Government, largely because he was an Odinga. He ended up serving as councillor in Kisumu between 1974 and 1979.

Ironically the system was harsher on Dr Oginga as compared to his younger brother Raila, because he was the elder son and intelligence agents believed he was the one being prepared to join his father in politics.

“Nobody gave Raila much thought because he was considered a harmless “technical person” having studied engineering and that is how he even got a job at University of Nairobi as lecturer and later as director at Kenya Bureau of Standards: “The focus was more on me, who was labelled ‘the dangerous one’ because I was the social scientist and economist. How wrong they were!”

Below are excerpts of the interview with Dr Oginga:

You are on record claiming that Raila has not been making it to State House courtesy of the so-called “system” which has been against your team. Now that you presumably have the “system” on your side, since President Uhuru supports your brother’s presidential bid, are you finally sure of victory?

My last comment on this system issue was taken completely out of context. Apparently, the media and some politicians misinterpreted this to imply that we were going to use “the system” to rig elections in our favour. I meant to say that the system, which includes the police, the provincial administration and the Office of the President, has always been hostile towards us. However, this time around we hope they will not in our way or impede our campaigns. And with Raila’s fame still high and our votes still intact, I am confident we shall be home and dry this time around.

What about the small matter of circumcision raised by Hon Moses Kuria? Can it stand in the way of your brother’s dream?    

It is unfortunate and quite irresponsible that some politicians, like Moses Kuria, are trying to make a mockery of other people’s beliefs and culture. Ability to lead this country cannot be measured on account of whether or not one is circumcised.

By the way, Mheshimiwa, last time you told Kenyans you were going to get circumcised. Did you finally undergo the cut? What about Raila?

 (Chuckling) We believe in the cut and have embraced it as brothers and as a community, mainly because of emerging hygiene reasons and fresh scientific findings to the effect that circumcision offers some percentage of protection against HIV/Aids infection. I cannot disclose anything beyond that. It is private.

Separately, I realise you joined politics as early as 1974 as a councilor, and then as MP in 1994 following the death of your father, Jaramogi, and has since remained a parliamentarian. Now at 78, why won’t you call it quits?

Politics is a calling and I joined to serve my people. I am vying for the Senate seat this time, because this is where my services to the people and country are most needed. I am now older and wiser and this is precisely where I ought to be. You see, I do not want to chase after a position that requires me to expend a lot of physical energy.

But with your younger brother going for the bigger seat, why won’t you and the other members of the Odinga family including your Midiwo cousins of Gem take a break and concentrate your energies on drumming up support for Raila?

Those are just six people that you have mentioned, yet the Odinga family is so large. Even then, let us not add my cousins – maternal and paternal to the list because they are not members of the Odinga family. About Ruth, she is over 60 years and a politician in her own right. I can neither control her desires nor force her to abandon her mission. I guess she has her own reasons for seeking an elective post, otherwise, I am not the one – as head of the Odinga family – who will call a family meeting to dissuade members against exercising their democratic right or suppress their political ambitions simply because they are Odingas. 

But don’t you care about perception from individuals who view your persistence to vie for a parliamentary seat as sabotage to Raila’s bid?

These protests are largely propagated by our opponents – individuals running against us at constituency levels and rivals challenging Raila’s presidential bid – otherwise, I see nothing wrong in seeking an elective post. After all, we are not demanding direct tickets because we are ready to compete with the rest.              

What would you say to those who view the participation of the Odingas in this race as undermining or spoiling for Raila?

We are free and independent-minded individuals who go for what we cherish and believe in. These protests over my candidature and Ruth’s did not start yesterday. Even when my father was alive, there are those who tried to stop Raila, for instance, from vying for the Lang’ata parliamentary seat in 1992 because his father was similarly in the contest for the Bondo seat. They feared that this would not look good in the eyes of our supporters and the Ford-Kenya fraternity, but Raila held on and at the end they registered history (besides President Jomo Kenyatta and his son, Peter) as father and son serving in same Parliament in Kenya. Ideally we like competing in pursuit for our goals.

So when do you plan to hang your boots from the political arena? 

I have honestly not thought about it. As long as God gives me strength, I will continue to serve until my people (voters) think otherwise 

What is your general take of this year’s presidential race?

I am confident this time we are winning with a very comfortable margin. 

Meanwhile, is there pressure on your part over Raila’s political progression?

You mean political pressure or jealousy over my brother’s achievements? Well, there is neither pressure nor jealousy on my end, because we are not in competition with Raila.

Have you ever reprimanded Raila over anything?

No, I do not do that. Remember, we are also friends and share mutual respect. If he does something that I disapprove of, I call and openly tell him and we square it out, and vice-versa. Even if we do it harshly, sometimes, we soon cool it off

How do you relate with Uhuru and Ruto?  

I am in full support of what the President is doing towards ensuring inclusivity in his and future governments. He was a close friend when we worked together in the Grand Coalition Government, where I was his assistant Finance minister, but Raila has since overtaken me and he is now his closer friend (he says with a chuckle). As for Ruto, I have not associated much with him since our days in ODM (between 2007-2012), however, I forgive him for the abuses and very many negative things he says of my brother and the Azimio fraternity. As an experienced politician, his actions do not cause me sleepless nights because I know he is doing this only to gain political mileage.

Tell us about your family?

I am a father to 7 children and husband to two wives. The youngest works at the National Social Security Fund (NSSF), and is mother of my last born twins aged 14. My son Elijah (47) has also been bitten by the political bug, and is vying for Kisumu Central parliamentary seat.

Finally, would you like to react to Hon Kuria’s comment about one of Raila’s eyes, which he mentioned in rather unkind terms?

I cannot comment on this one, because it is rather painful and too personal. Raila’s condition, as he has previously explained, is due to exposure to bright light during political detention. Many people have backstabbed us (Odingas) over the decades and whatever Kuria wants to gain, let him suit himself. There are many who have done worse things to Raila and we have embraced and forgiven them instead. Once he is done with the abuses, Kuria is also welcome back and we shall not chase him away. We shall embrace him like the rest.