Wamuzi News Ke
In an emotional address carried live before mourners and media alike, Winnie Odinga paid what may be the most personal and powerful eulogy to her father, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, declaring: “The King is dead — but long live the crown.”
Her announcement, delivered amid visible grief, has sent shockwaves across the nation, turning a memorial into a moment of national reckoning.
A Daughter’s Goodbye Becomes a National Moment.
Standing before an audience of dignitaries, citizens, and grieving Kenyans, Winnie began by confessing the depth of her loss: “I don’t know who I’ll miss more — my Dad or my superhero.” In one sentence, she brought the public into her personal sorrow — the daughter and the leader, entwined.
She went on to reflect on the many names her father bore in public life, the nicknames he gave others, but insisted that to her, he was simply “Dad” — a man whose presence “froze rooms around the world.”
In recalling their home life, Winnie revealed a side of Raila rarely seen: the quizmaster, the riddle-teller, the father who sharpened minds at the dining table, described as the “vitendawili testing ground.”
Even in death, she said, her father’s plan was at play: “When I learned that you willed to be buried in 72 hours, I laughed … Good old Dad! Testing and planning for us beyond the grave.”She urged Kenyans not to yield to despair, but to remember that Raila “left a plan for you too.
He taught us, he carried us — we know what he expects from all of us, and we shall rise together in his honour.”Winnie’s sign-off closed the loop between the private and the public: “The biggest part of me died on October 15, 2025, but the spirit of the lion roars on forever.”
Symbol, Legacy, and Urgent Questions.
Her speech has already reignited national debate. While it was a tribute, it was also a declaration of continuity — the mantle must pass, the vision must persist, the goals must endure.
Questions now dominate public discourse:Which leaders will heed her call and carry forward her father’s mission?What does “rising in his honour” mean tangibly — in policy, in activism, in politics?
Are we witnessing the closing of one chapter and the opening of another?In a country where legacies define political futures, Winnie’s eulogy is more than remembrance — it is a summons to action.
A Nation Watches, A Legacy Hangs in Balance.
By inviting the public into their private grief, Winnie Odinga ensured that Raila’s passing becomes a national inflection point. Her words have amplified not only sorrow but resolve: his story does not end in a casket.
As Kenya prepares for the funeral rites, mourning, and national reflection, one reality looms large: the death of Raila Odinga is a seismic shift — but it is also the moment his heirs must prove whether the crown will endure, or fall.
