Tears, silence, and emotion filled the air at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology in Bondo as Dr Oburu Oginga, the elder brother of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, delivered one of the most moving tributes of the day.

“I would now like to say a few words about my brother Raila. I want to tell the mourners that I have lost my best friend in life. I will never have any other friend like Raila,” Oburu began. “It is with a heavy heart that I stand before you to mourn him. I really feel like not saying anything because my best friend is gone.”

Oburu took mourners back to their childhood, painting a vivid picture of a young Raila who was both caring and principled. “From childhood, Raila was very caring but also very principled. If he felt he was being misused, he refused,” he recalled.

He shared a story from their youth when their father, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, ordered everyone to pick cotton at their Nyamira home.

“Mzee was very strict; everyone had to pick cotton. But Raila refused. He told Mzee, ‘Baba, don’t you know it’s very difficult to pick cotton? Why don’t you also try?’ Of course, Mzee disciplined him for that,” Oburu said, drawing laughter mixed with emotion from mourners.

He recounted another incident from their school days. Their mother had attended a funeral in Alego and requested permission from the school for them to stay home to care for their younger siblings. When they returned, their teacher punished them for being absent. “After beating us, the teacher expected us to salute him. But Raila refused. He said, ‘You are killing me for nothing; my mother asked for permission.’ That was Raila brave even as a child,” Oburu said.

He went on to describe Odinga’s brilliance in school and his passion for learning. “He loved school and was always number one in class. My other brother Agola was not as fond of school, but Raila loved studying and excelled in everything he did,” he said.

Raila also had a deep love for sports. “We had a field in Nyamira where we practiced jumping, pole vault, triple jump, and other athletics. Raila later became part of the Athletics Association and was also a great lover of football. His team was Arsenal, and he was also a patron of Gor Mahia. He loved football so much that when he and the President attended Kenya’s matches at Kasarani, the team always won. It’s only the day both of them missed that Kenya lost, “

Turning to the darker chapters of their lives, Oburu spoke about Raila’s resilience and courage during his political struggles. “I remember 1982, during the attempted coup. My brother was arrested and detained. I went to see him at Kamiti Prison and found him in a black uniform meant for death-row prisoners. I cried when I saw him like that, but he laughed and told me, ‘This is nothing. All this will pass.’ That was the courage of Raila,” he said.

He described Odinga as fearless in the face of oppression. “When police threw tear gas or charged at protesters, Raila never ran. Even when others were scared, he went forward. That’s who he was, a man of courage and conviction.”

Oburu also expressed deep gratitude to President William Ruto for standing with the family during Raila’s illness and after his death.

“The President stood with us from the moment I informed him that Raila was unwell. He organised the transport that flew Raila to India for treatment and kept checking on his condition. When Raila’s health worsened, I called the President. When he later passed away, the President was deeply saddened and immediately took charge of the arrangements. Were it not for him, I don’t know if I could have managed all this,” he said.