Ruth Odinga, the younger sister of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has revealed that she was among the first women to be detained during Kenya’s struggle for multiparty democracy.
Speaking during the state funeral in Bondo, Siaya County, the women’s representative for Kisumu County recalled her arrest and detention in the late 1980s, saying it was a direct consequence of her close association with her brother, who at the time was one of the country’s most vocal opposition figures.
“Some of you don’t know that I was one of the first women in detention,” she said. “I was picked because of my relationship with Raila Odinga. We were held incommunicado during the clamour for multipartism.”
“I left to Uganda, Tanzania and even Norway in exile. Raila became a refugee in Norway while living with me in Norway”
Her remarks drew emotional applause from the crowd, many of whom were visibly moved by the recollection of the family’s long and painful history of political persecution.
Ruth Odinga’s testimony added a deeply personal dimension to the national farewell for Raila, reminding mourners of the sacrifices borne not only by him but by his entire family in the pursuit of democratic reform.
She described the years of detention, exile and surveillance as “a season of darkness,” but said the struggle had not been in vain. “What we fought for then is what allows Kenyans today to speak freely and choose their leaders,” she said.
Ruth Odinga has also called on ODM party to remain united, condemning the young turks breakaway faction as inconsequential.
“Let us have one ODM. This party will never die. We cannot have other ODMs running around out there, this is the party of Raila Odinga and we will continue in his footsteps.
