Winnie Odinga the CEO of The BrickHouse Counsel and daughter of ODM leader Raila Odinga on Thursday responded to a caller who suggested she is out of touch with the tribulations ordinary Kenyans go through. While speaking on Spice FM, one caller said those who belong to dynasties do not understand the problems faced by Kenyans at the grassroots thus cannot give solutions.
“We are asking questions to someone who can actually not answer. I do not think that she knows what it means to work, we have to do away with dynasty families.
“This is because they do not know the problems that we have down here and therefore there is no way they can give us a solution. It is ridiculous that we are doing mistakes over and over again,” said the caller only identified as Charity.
Winnie quickly responded by saying the caller was not aware of the difficulties the Odinga family has undergone over the years for the sake of Kenya. “I do not believe she can be talking about me when we talk about dynasties. I do not believe that we can talk about Jaramogi Odinga in the worst place in this country in Hola Camp and Raila Odinga following with eight years in detention.
“I do not know that she knows the life I have lived with policemen surrounding my house and guns to my head. I do not believe she knows the floors I have slept in, floors my mother has slept in, my siblings have slept in for this country and I do not expect her to know. I do not believe it is correct to judge a story when you do not know the whole story,” she said.
Last year, Raila dismissed political dynasty talk saying it was unfair to profile individuals from prominent families because of their fathers. Odinga said President Uhuru Kenyatta, Gideon Moi and himself were not entitled to any privileges because of their fathers. The trio’s fathers served as first and second presidents, and as first vice president of the country, respectively, and have continued to influence the country’s politics since independence.
“Moi rose from a humble background to become president. He came from poverty, just like Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. Nobody can talk about a dynasty when it comes to these three families,” said Raila at the time.
