Raila Odinga facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable Raila Odinga
Odinga in 2017
African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development
In office 20 October 2018 – 23 February 2023
Chair	Moussa Faki
Preceded by	Elisabeth Tankeu (Commissioner of Trade and Industry)
2nd Prime Minister of Kenya
In office 17 April 2008 – 9 April 2013
President	Mwai Kibaki
Deputy	Musalia Mudavadi Uhuru Kenyatta
Preceded by	Jomo Kenyatta (1964)
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Minister of Roads, Public Works and Housing
In office 14 January 2003 – 21 November 2005
President	Mwai Kibaki
Preceded by	William Cheruiyot Morogo
Succeeded by	Soita Shitanda
Minister for Energy
In office 11 June 2001 – 30 December 2002
President	Daniel arap Moi
Preceded by	Francis Masakhalia
Succeeded by	Simeon Nyachae
Member of Parliament for Langata Constituency
In office 26 January 1993 – 28 March 2013
Preceded by	Philip Leakey
Succeeded by	Joash Olum
Personal details
Born	Raila Amolo Odinga (1945-01-07) 7 January 1945 (age 80) Maseno, Kenya Colony
Political party	Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (before 1992) Forum for the Restoration of Democracy – Kenya (1992–1994) National Development Party (1994–2002) Kenya African National Union (2000–2002) Liberal Democratic Party (2002–2005) Orange Democratic Movement (2005–present)
Other political affiliations	Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (2012–2017) National Super Alliance (2017–2021) Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Coalition (2022–present)
Spouse	Ida Odinga ​ (m. 1973)​
Children	4 (including Rosemary and Winnie Odinga)
Parent	Oginga Odinga (father)
Relatives	Oburu Odinga (brother)
Education	Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg
Signature

Raila Amolo Odinga (born 7 January 1945) is a well-known Kenyan politician. He served as the Prime Minister of Kenya from 2008 to 2013. He was also a Member of Parliament (MP) for Langata Constituency from 1992 to 2013. Since 2013, he has been the Leader of Opposition in Kenya. He is currently the leader of the Azimio la Umoja–One Kenya Coalition Party.

Odinga has run for President of Kenya five times. He ran in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022, but was not successful in winning the presidency. In February 2025, he ran for the African Union Commission Chairperson but was defeated.

Early Life and Education

Growing Up in Kenya

Raila Odinga was born on 7 January 1945 in Maseno, Kisumu District, Kenya. His parents were Mary Juma Odinga and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. His father was the first Vice President of Kenya. Raila is a member of the Luo ethnic group. He attended Kisumu Union Primary, Maranda Primary, and Maranda High School until 1962. After that, his father sent him to Germany.

Studying in East Germany

He spent two years at the Herder Institution in East Germany. This school taught foreign students the German language. In 1965, he received a scholarship to study at the Technische Hochschule (technical college) of Magdeburg. This college is now part of Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg. He graduated in 1970 with a certificate in Welding. While studying, he could visit West Berlin through Checkpoint Charlie. He sometimes brought items that were hard to find in East Berlin to his friends there.

Career Beginnings

Starting a Business

Odinga returned to Kenya in 1970. In 1971, he started a company called Standard Processing Equipment Construction & Erection Ltd. This company was later renamed East African Spectre. It is the only company in Kenya that makes liquid petroleum gas cylinders.

Working for the Government

In 1974, Odinga was appointed as a group standards manager at the Kenya Bureau of Standards. After four years, he was promoted to deputy director in 1978. He held this position until 1982.

Political Journey

Early Challenges and Detention

In 1982, there was an attempt to overthrow the government of President Daniel arap Moi. Odinga was arrested and accused of being involved. He was held without trial for six years. He was released in February 1988 but arrested again in August of the same year. He was released again in June 1989.

During this time, the Kenyan government was known for human rights issues. Odinga was held under house arrest for seven months. He was later charged with treason and detained without trial for six years. One difficult experience for him was when his mother passed away in 1984, but he was not told for two months.

He was released on 6 February 1988. However, he was arrested again in September 1988 because he was speaking out for democracy and human rights. At that time, Kenya was a one-party state. His struggles against the government made him famous. His supporters gave him nicknames like "Agwambo," which means "The Mystery" or "Unpredictable" in Luo dialect. Another nickname was "Jakom," meaning chairman.

Odinga was released on 12 June 1989. He was arrested again on 5 July 1990, along with other activists like Kenneth Matiba and Charles Rubia. He was finally released on 21 June 1991. In October, he left Kenya for Norway because he believed there were attempts to harm him.

The Rise of Multi-Party Politics

When Odinga went to Norway, the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD) had just been formed. This group wanted to bring back multi-party democracy to Kenya. In February 1992, Odinga returned to Kenya and joined FORD, which was led by his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. He became the Vice Chairman of the party's General Purposes Committee.

Before the 1992 General Election, FORD split into two parties: FORD-Kenya, led by Odinga's father, and FORD-Asili, led by Kenneth Matiba. Odinga became Ford-Kenya's Deputy Director of Elections. He won the Langata Constituency parliamentary seat.

After his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, passed away in January 1994, Michael Wamalwa Kijana became the new FORD-Kenya chairman. Odinga challenged him for the party leadership. After some disagreements, Odinga left FORD-Kenya and joined the National Development Party (NDP).

Serving as a Member of Parliament

In the 1997 General Election, Odinga ran for president for the first time. He finished third, behind President Daniel arap Moi and Mwai Kibaki. However, he kept his seat as the Langata MP.

Joining Forces with KANU

In a surprising move, Odinga decided to support President Moi, who had been his political rival. His party, NDP, merged with Moi's KANU party. This new party was called New KANU. Many of Odinga's supporters were surprised by this decision. He accepted a position in Moi's cabinet as Energy Minister, serving from June 2001 to 2002.

Later that year, in the KANU elections, he was elected the party's Secretary General. Many believed Odinga hoped to become president with Moi's support. However, in 2002, Moi chose Uhuru Kenyatta, the son of Kenya's first president, to be his successor. Moi asked Odinga and others to support Uhuru.

Odinga and other KANU members disagreed with this. They felt Uhuru was too new to politics. Moi insisted that leadership should pass to a younger generation. This disagreement led to many KANU members leaving the party. Odinga led this group, which formed the Rainbow Movement. This movement later joined the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The LDP then teamed up with Mwai Kibaki's National Alliance Party of Kenya (NAK) to form the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC).

The National Rainbow Coalition (NARC)

To ensure the opposition united, Odinga famously declared "Kibaki tosha" (Swahili for "Kibaki is sufficient"). This meant he supported Kibaki as the presidential candidate. NARC then won the election against Moi's chosen successor, Uhuru Kenyatta. The opposition won by a large margin. Odinga led Kibaki's campaign across the country while Kibaki was recovering from an accident.

Disagreements in NARC

When President Kibaki took office, he did not appoint Odinga as Prime Minister, even though there was a pre-election agreement. Also, Odinga's LDP faction did not receive half of the cabinet positions as agreed. This caused tension and a split within the government. A major point of disagreement was a new constitution. The original plan was to reduce presidential powers, but the new draft seemed to increase them.

The 2005 Referendum

Odinga opposed the new draft constitution. He campaigned with his LDP colleagues for a "No" vote in the referendum on 21 November 2005. The government lost the vote. Only one of the eight provinces voted "yes."

After this, President Kibaki dismissed the entire cabinet on 23 November 2005. When a new cabinet was formed, Odinga and the LDP group were not included.

Forming the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)

Odinga then led the creation of a new opposition group, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). The orange was the symbol for the "No" vote in the constitutional referendum. In January 2006, Odinga reported that he had received threats to his life.

The "People's President" Swearing-in

After losing the 2017 election and boycotting the rerun, Odinga held a ceremony in Nairobi where he called himself "the people's president." TV stations in Kenya were taken off air after this event.

The Handshake and Building Bridges Initiative

In March 2018, Raila Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta had a public meeting, known as "the handshake." This was meant to calm political tensions after the 2017 elections. This led to the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

The BBI aimed to collect views from Kenyans to promote peace and unity. The team toured the country and submitted a report to President Kenyatta in November 2019. This initiative was praised by many leaders. However, in 2022, the Supreme Court of Kenya ruled that the BBI was unconstitutional.

African Union Role

Odinga was appointed as the High Representative for Infrastructure Development at the African Union Commission in 2018. He left this role on 23 February 2023.

Running for President Again

On 10 December 2021, Odinga announced he would run for president for the fifth time. This announcement was made at the Azimio La Umoja Convention in Nairobi.

Nicknames

Throughout his political career, Odinga has received several nicknames. These include "Tinga," "Hummer," "Baba," "Jakom," and "Agwambo."

Presidential Elections

The 2007 Presidential Election

On 12 July 2007, as President Kibaki's re-election approached, Odinga claimed that the government was holding back identity cards from voters in areas that supported the opposition. He also said that creating 30 new constituencies was a way for the government to unfairly win the December 2007 parliamentary election.

Odinga speaking to the Kenyan media during the 2007–08 Kenyan crisis

In August 2007, Odinga's Orange Democratic Movement-Kenya split. Odinga became the head of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). The other part, ODM-K, was led by Kalonzo Musyoka.

On 1 September 2007, the ODM chose Odinga as its presidential candidate. He received the most votes from the party's delegates. Musalia Mudavadi was chosen as his running mate. Odinga officially launched his presidential campaign on 6 October 2007.

However, after the 27 December presidential election, the Electoral Commission declared Kibaki the winner on 30 December 2007. Odinga and ODM leaders disagreed with this decision. Violence broke out in the country.

After two months of unrest, which led to many deaths and displacements, Odinga and Kibaki signed a power-sharing deal in February 2008. This deal was helped by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. Odinga was sworn in as Prime Minister on 17 April 2008. He was the second person in Kenya's history to hold this position.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama of the United States with Odinga and his wife Ida Odinga (2009).

British Foreign Secretary William Hague meeting Odinga, then Prime Minister of Kenya, in London, 10 August 2012

The 2013 Presidential Election

Odinga speaking at a visit to Peace Corps

The next presidential election was in March 2013. Odinga's main rivals were Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto. They had been accused by the ICC for their roles in the 2007 election violence. Despite this, they were nominated by the Jubilee Party.

Odinga's party, ODM, joined with Kalonzo Musyoka's Wiper Party and Moses Wetangula's Ford Kenya (FK) to form the CORD coalition (Coalition for Reforms and Democracy). Odinga was the presidential candidate, and Kalonzo was his running mate. They faced the Jubilee coalition.

Odinga ran for president in the elections held on 4 March 2013. He received 5,340,546 votes (43.70%). The winner, Uhuru Kenyatta, received 6,173,433 votes (50.51%). Since Uhuru had more than 50% of the votes, he won in the first round.

Odinga, Prime Minister of Kenya, with other African leaders at the World Economic Forum on Africa 2008 in Cape Town, South Africa, 4 June 2008

Odinga claimed the election had many problems with the electronic voting systems. He said the manual counting was suspicious. He decided to challenge the result in Kenya's highest court, the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court announced its decision on 30 March 2013. It dismissed Odinga's challenge and declared Uhuru Kenyatta the next president. The court also said that the IEBC should not have included invalid votes in the final count. The Chief Justice also asked for a criminal investigation into the IEBC regarding the electronic systems.

After the Supreme Court dismissed his petition, Odinga went to South Africa. He did not attend Uhuru Kenyatta's inauguration on 9 April 2013. This marked the end of his time as Prime Minister.

The 2017 Presidential Elections

Claims of Election Problems

Odinga and his lawyers claimed that people linked to his main opponent, Uhuru Kenyatta, had hacked into the IEBC (Kenya's election body) server. He said the results were false because they had been changed by a computer program. He called this "the biggest vote theft in Kenya's history." Odinga later said his team had information that he was leading with 8 million votes against Uhuru's 7 million. He demanded to be declared the fifth president of Kenya.

The IEBC denied Odinga's claims. They said the winner could not be announced until all votes were counted. The IEBC finally announced Uhuru as the winner with 8.2 million votes against Odinga's 6.7 million. Odinga's coalition, NASA, refused to accept the results. Some violence was reported in areas that supported the opposition, but it was not as widespread as in 2007. Both Odinga and President Kenyatta asked for calm.

Election Annulment

Odinga decided to take his case to court. After two days of hearings, the judges ruled on 1 September that the presidential results were invalid. They ordered a new election within 60 days. The court said the IEBC did not conduct the election properly.

Despite the Supreme Court ruling, Odinga announced on 10 October that he would not participate in the new election, which was set for 26 October. He believed the election would not be fair because no changes had been made to the election process. The IEBC later stated that Odinga had not officially withdrawn, and his name would still be on the ballot. This led to protests and violence in some parts of the country.

Reconciliation

On 30 January, Odinga held a ceremony in Nairobi where he called himself 'People's President'. A month and a half later, on 9 March, Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta appeared together on TV. They called each other 'brothers' and agreed to put aside their political differences for Kenya's future.

The 2022 Presidential Elections

Odinga was approved to run for president for the fifth time on 5 June 2022. He filed his papers as a candidate for the Azimio la Umoja–One Kenya Coalition party. Martha Karua was his running mate.

On 6 June, Odinga launched his 10-point plan for the country at Nyayo stadium. He outlined his vision, which included social protection, universal healthcare, job creation, women's empowerment, youth investment, education for all, food security, water for everyone, and supporting businesses. He ran against United Democratic Alliance’s candidate William Ruto. Ruto won with 50.5% of the votes, making Odinga second.

After coming second, Odinga challenged the result in court, but the Supreme Court dismissed his case. The 2022 election was widely seen as his strongest chance to become president.

Political Beliefs

Odinga's political ideas are similar to social democracy. He has supported a system where power is shared with local governments, which is now part of Kenya's constitution. This idea came from the belief that past governments had unfairly favored certain areas. Devolution aims to ensure all regions receive their fair share of resources.

Due to economic challenges and drought, Odinga has called for a temporary stop to taxes on fuels and certain foods that affect poor people the most. He has also supported cash-transfer programs to help low-income people.

On social issues, Odinga has taken a more traditional stance. Regarding LGBT issues, he has stated that the constitution is clear on the matter. His office later clarified that he meant same-sex marriage is illegal under the constitution.

British Foreign Office Minister Henry Bellingham meeting Odinga in London, 7 July 2011

Personal Life

Odinga and his wife Ida at a political rally

Raila Odinga was baptized as an Anglican Christian. He later became a Born-Again Christian and attends All Saints' Cathedral in Nairobi.

Odinga is married to Ida Odinga (Ida Anyango Oyoo). They live in Karen, Nairobi, and also have a home in Siaya County. They had four children: Fidel (1973–2015), Rosemary (born 1977), Raila Jr. (born 1979), and Winnie (born 1990). Winnie is currently studying at Drexel University in Philadelphia and is a Kenyan representative at the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA).

In a 2008 interview, Odinga said he was a first cousin of US president Barack Obama through Obama's father. However, Barack Obama's paternal uncle said there was no direct blood relation, explaining that Odinga's mother came from the same area, making them "cousins" in a broader sense.

Odinga briefly played soccer as a midfielder for Luo Union (now Gor Mahia). He supports the English Premier League club Arsenal.

The African Union appointed Odinga to help resolve the 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis. Odinga wrote a 1040-page autobiography called "Flame of Freedom." It was launched in Kenya in October 2013 and later in the United States.

Honors and Awards

Honorary Degrees

See also

In Spanish: Raila Odinga para niños

• Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania
• Raila Odinga Biography