Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, leader of the Wiper party, brought a herd of cattle and other gifts to the lakeside home of Ida Odinga, widow of the late opposition icon Raila Odinga, in a gesture that blended Luo tradition with raw political emotion.
The delegation arrived at Opoda Farm to chants of “Jowi! Jowi!” from hundreds of supporters who lined the dusty road under jacaranda trees.
Musyoka, accompanied by Makueni governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior and a phalanx of Wiper officials, was ushered into the compound where Mama Ida waited beneath a mango tree draped in Azimio colours.
“I have come as a brother to honour a brother,” Musyoka told the gathering. “Raila stood for what was right even when it cost him everything. His journey to Canaan must continue.”
The cattle, ten strong and adorned with red ribbons, were led forward as a symbol of respect and continuity. Mama Ida embraced Musyoka and thanked him for “keeping the fire burning”.
Later the group walked in silence to Kang’o ka Jaramogi, the mausoleum where Raila was laid to rest last month beside his father Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. Musyoka placed a wreath and stood for several minutes, head bowed, before addressing the crowd.
“Raila taught us that democracy is not given, it is taken,” he said. “We shall not betray that lesson.”
The visit underlined a partnership that defined Kenyan opposition politics for more than a decade. From 2013 Musyoka repeatedly stepped aside to serve as Odinga’s running mate in three presidential contests, forging a bond that Ida Odinga yesterday called “unbreakable”.
Even moments of tension, such as Musyoka’s public criticism of the 2022 choice of Martha Karua as deputy, never severed the tie. Raila entrusted Musyoka with leading the national dialogue talks after the contested 2022 election, a role he continues.
Religious leaders from Catholic, Anglican and Muslim faiths offered prayers for peace and unity. As the sun dropped behind Lake Victoria, the Wiper team departed to songs and promises that the struggle Raila began would reach its destination.
Mama Ida’s final words to Musyoka were simple: “Finish what Baba started.”
