After days of mourning, on October 20 Kenyans laid to rest one of their most prominent political figures – “Baba” Raila Odinga. I am still reeling from the reality that he’s no longer with us. He’s been such a dominant figure on the political stage, it seems he’s always been with us and with his indomitable spirit it seemed he would be with us forever.
On a personal level I have many fond memories of Odinga. He spent time with me in Boston as a president-in-residence in the programme I ran when I was on the faculty at Boston University. One of the things I found immediately impressive during his time on the Boston campus was that despite his legendary status in Kenya and across the continent he was approachable and gracious to everyone he met.
That was true whether he was talking to an American political leader, university leader or ordinary working person on campus. During his time at Boston University, we travelled the country as a part of the centre’s outreach to other campuses and venues to give Americans another perspective on Africa, it’s past, present and future. Odinga’s friendly demeanor, insightful commentary and forward-looking message about the continent’s future never failed to make an impact.
After getting to know each other during the year he spent in Boston we remained close. I was with him and the family in the aftermath of the death of his beloved son, Fidel. When the African Presidential Leadership Centre was being launched in Johannesburg and I called him to ask if he would come - at his own expense - to help launch this ambitious undertaking, he responded without hesitation. Over the years we continued to stay in touch and though he was sometimes troubled by developments at home and abroad he always remained hopeful.
Of the many memories I have there are a couple of things that stand out. One was his unwavering love for his country, whether in office or not. He never let personal ambition or regret about a political loss factor in when a call came to do something for his beloved Kenya. If there was an opportunity to make progress or move the needle, he was more than willing to sit down with friend or foe alike. In a word, he was a statesman. He was a statesman par excellence.
The other takeaway from our many hours together was his understanding of the importance for African people, wherever they might be, to frame their own narrative about who they are and how they visualise their future. One of his go-to lines when he spoke, whether at Harvard or at New Hope Baptist Church in the heart of Boston’s African American community, was: “As long as the hunter tells the story, the lion will never be the hero.” We must own our stories and we must tell our own stories. He believed it was critical for our own sanity and self-esteem, but it was also important for the world because our story helps complete the world’s story.
We tried to connect on several occasions after Donald Trump returned to the White House, but he was always in perpetual motion and my dance card has been pretty full too. I hate that this was a conversation we didn’t get to have. I’m sure his sense of nuance and pathos would have provided profound insights on the state of things in the US as well as the implications for Kenya and Africa.
I will miss his booming and infectious laugh. I will miss his sense of humour. He had an amazing sense of humour and irony. He was fond of saying after the election of Barack Obama as US president that “America elected a Luo president before Kenya”.
His family is legendary in the annuals of Kenyan politics. His father, Jaramogi Odinga Odinga, was a contemporary of Jomo Kenyatta. He was both a one-time ally and long-time adversary.
Raila Odinga was a towering figure in his own right. He served as his country’s prime minister in a government of national unity to ensure that the country’s then fragile democracy would not break after a hard fought and contentious campaign. He would later leave that office and resume his position as leader of the opposition, the ever-loyal-to-the-Kenyan-constitution opposition.
Odinga cast a long shadow and with his passing it’s the end of an era and the loss of an example of the kind of leadership Africa and the world need right now. He was an African legend and a world-class stateman.
· Stith is a former US ambassador to Tanzania and an ordained United Methodist minister.
