As Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga lay in his final hours, surrounded by family, his strength, humor, and calm presence remained unmistakable.
In a deeply moving tribute on Nyayo Stadium on Friday, his daughter Winnie Odinga described the last moments with her father, recalling a man who faced the end with dignity while still thinking of others.
“I don’t know who I’ll miss more,my Dad or my superhero,” she said, her voice trembling as mourners listened in silence.
Winnie shared how she felt lucky to have had Raila as her father, alongside three other close family members.
“I am the luckiest girl in the world because you were my Dad. Only three other human beings were as lucky as me Fidel, Rozzy and Junior.”
She reflected on the final hours, describing her father as a steady light, “unyielding and deeply human,” a presence that drew attention wherever he went.
“To the world, you were known by many names,” she said.
“You even gave almost everyone you met a nickname too. But to me, you were simply Dad, a man whose presence froze rooms around the world.”
Winnie fondly recalled their home life, which she called “the vitendawili testing ground,” where her father challenged them with riddles and quizzes that kept their minds sharp. “Our home was filled with quizzes that tested us in a good way… sometimes,” she said, smiling through her tears.
She laughed when remembering his last wishes, including his request to be buried within 72 hours. “When I learnt that you willed to be buried in 72 hours, I laughed,” she said.
“Good old Dad! Testing and planning for us beyond the grave. I can see you now, laughing in your heaving manner, knowing your wish will be done.”
Turning to the crowd, Winnie spoke about the lessons Raila instilled in her and in the nation—values of leadership, justice, and patriotism. “I learned from him that love for country is not just in words, but in sacrifice,” she said. “That justice must be pursued even when the path is lonely. That true leadership is service, not power.”
She urged Kenyans to remain hopeful despite their grief. “Millions of you are in despair, but take heart,” she said. “He left a plan for you too. He led all of us, he taught us, he carried us — we know what he expects from all of us, and we shall rise together in his honour.”
Winnie described her father as a man of humility and resilience, someone who faced both victory and defeat with grace. “I watched him at his best. I watched him fall and rise again each time with grace, forgiveness, and hope,” she said. “He taught us that defeat is not failure, that conviction is not arrogance, and that peace is always greater than pride.”
She shared intimate memories of Raila as a devoted family man, devoted to his grandchildren even amidst the demands of national duty. “Ask his grandchildren in the front,” she said with a tearful smile. “I started getting sidelined for holidays. I’d just wake up and see Baba in Kasarani with Saphie, or Malindi with Senayi, or insisting the captain must land the plane with Laiyon at the cockpit.”
“He loved Saphie, Allay, Senayi, Laiyon and Jara with all his heart,” she added. “Even in the busiest moments of national duty, he would send me to check on all of you to remind us to stay grounded, to dream boldly, and to always stand firm for what is right.”
As she concluded, Winnie honored both the father and the leader he was. “Today, as we celebrate his life, I choose to remember not only the leader the world knew, but the father I loved with every fibre of my being,” she said.
“The biggest part of me died on October 15, 2025, but the spirit of the lion roars on forever. The King is dead — but long live the crown.”