Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s elder brother, Dr. Oburu Oginga, lightened the mood during the leader’s State Funeral at Nyayo Stadium on Friday, October 17, 2025, with a humorous introduction of his two wives that drew laughter from thousands of mourners.
In a moment that provided brief comic relief during an otherwise somber occasion, Oburu introduced his wives with characteristic wit and candor.
“This is the lady who took me out of boyhood. She is a doctor, she is a pediatrician, and she is the one with whom we grew up together, but I thought that now at my age I don’t want her to scratch me, I don’t want her to massage me, so I brought her helper, Judith Oburu,” Oburu said.
He introduced Judith Oburu, noting that she works with the National Social Security Fund (NSSF) and is a professional accountant.
Beyond the humor, Oburu delivered a profoundly moving tribute to his younger brother, revealing intimate details of their childhood and the special bond they shared throughout their lives.
“Raila was more than a brother to me. He was my friend, he was my age mate, he was my advisor, and he was my confidant, and he was everything, including a business partnership. We grew up together more or less as twins because the difference between me and my brother is only one year and two months,” Oburu said.
In a poignant revelation, Oburu disclosed that Raila passed away on his birthday, October 15.
“Unfortunately my brother passed on on my birthday which is 15th October,” he said, adding an extra layer of personal loss to the tragedy.
Oburu painted a vivid picture of their childhood in Bondo, Sakwa, where they learned valuable life skills from their grandmother.
“When we were growing up together with my brother, we were in Bondo in Sakwa, though we were born in Maseno, but during that time, we were only three boys, and our mother was a disciplinarian more than our father. But my brother Raila knew how to cook. Our father’s mother told us that ‘you my boys, you are also my girls. You must learn to fetch firewood, you must learn to cook, you must learn to prepare everything, including washing clothes and ironing, and so on,” Oburu recalled.
In a significant political announcement, Oburu revealed that the ODM party has appointed him as acting party leader following Raila’s death.
“I want to thank my party, ODM, for making me the acting party leader of ODM, the oldest and the largest party in East and Central Africa. I will take that mantle with vigor and assure you, my colleagues, that I will not disappoint. Even though Raila’s shoes are too big,” he declared.
