A man who looks remarkably like the late former prime minister Raila Odinga has set Kenyans talking after a video showed him strolling through Nairobi’s CBD in Baba’s trademark outfit from head to toe.
The lookalike arrived in an orange coat, the shade long tied to the Orange Democratic Movement. He finished the look with a fedora and a fly whisk, two items that Raila carried for decades and that people came to link with him.
The costume was only part of the act. He was also filmed copying Raila’s well-known dance steps with real accuracy. A large crowd gathered around him as the late politician’s popular campaign song played nearby.
Why the timing struck a nerve
The clip emerged at a delicate time. Kenya is only days from the first anniversary of Raila’s death on 15 October 2026. He died in Kochi, India, in 2025 after a cardiac arrest during medical treatment. He was 80.
ODM has named October “Mwezi wa Baba” and lined up activities throughout the month in his memory. On 2 October, supporters lit candles across the country. The main ceremony was at Uhuru Park in Nairobi, with similar gatherings in Kisumu, Mombasa and other counties.
The family is running its own separate programme. It is led by his widow, Ida Odinga, and a national steering committee chaired by Prof Adams Oloo. The family wants the anniversary observed as a national occasion, not a party-political one.
The family’s programme starts with a candle-lighting ceremony at Raila’s resting place in Bondo on 14 October. A public commemoration follows the next day at Migwena Cultural and Sports Ground.
Raila was laid to rest at the family home in Bondo, next to his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. A mausoleum is now being built at the site, known as Kang’o Ka Jaramogi.
Kenyans react: laughter, nostalgia and grief
The viral clip prompted a flood of responses, ranging from humor to heartfelt grief:
@𝗞𝕀𝗡𝔾 𝗞ℍ𝗔𝕃𝗜𝔽𝗔👑🦅: “We all laugh here, but maybe we will never see each other🥺. Wherever you are, I wish you a life filled with happiness.”
@wamboe maina😇😇: “😅😅😅Ni yeye amekuja ama n cc tumeenda”
@Biliam ltd: “Sometimes I feel like Baba just travelled somewhere; he’ll be back someday🥺🥺🥺😢😭😭😭”
@ĐƐ ĽƐĶṢ̌ƐŶ: “Huyu alipendwa…he’ll never be forgotten ♥️❤️”
