Kenyans across the country are mourning the death of Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Raila Odinga. Kisumu, Siaya, Migori and Homa Bay residents react to Raila Odinga’s death. Raila passed away on Wednesday morning, October 15, at the Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Research Centre in Koothattukulam, Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. The veteran politician reportedly collapsed while taking his morning walk and was rushed to the hospital. Sadly, efforts to resuscitate him proved futile. How did Migori, Kisumu residents mourn Raila Odinga? Following news of his death, residents of Raila’s strongholds in Kisumu, Migori, and Homa Bay counties took to the streets, wailing and crying in disbelief.
Many across these counties temporarily halted their businesses, aimlessly wandering the streets as one, to honour the fallen leader. They carried branches of trees with leaves, mourning the loss of their hero, a man of the people. Some residents, when interviewed by the press, expressed their deep sorrow and pain following the politician’s death. A section of the Luo community shared their concern, feeling they had lost their kingpin and were left without a voice to fight for them. “As Luos, we are left blind. We do not know what will happen to Kenya moving forward. We are in so much pain; it feels like a parent who has just lost a child,” said one Kisumu resident, crying in agony. She added that Raila had left the community orphaned, and without him, they feared being sidelined in matters of development. In Homa Bay, residents stormed the town centre, chanting ‘Jowi’ in memory of the fallen hero. Migori was met with an equal outpouring of grief, as boda boda riders joined in, busting their horns in mourning.
By Lynn-Linzer Kibebe
