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)
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 currently leads the Azimio la Umoja–One Kenya Coalition Party.

Odinga has run for President of Kenya five times. He has not won any of these elections. Each time, he has claimed that the elections were not fair.

In 1997, he came third as a candidate for the National Development Party (NDP). In 2007, he ran for president with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) but lost to Mwai Kibaki. He was the runner-up in the 2013, 2017, and 2022 elections. After his last loss, he asked the Supreme Court of Kenya to review the results. The court decided against him, and Odinga said he would respect their decision.

In February 2024, he announced he would run for the African Union Commission Chairperson.

Early Life and Schooling

Growing Up in Kenya

Raila Odinga was born on January 7, 1945. His birthplace was the Anglican Church Missionary Society Hospital in Maseno, Kisumu District. His parents were Mary Juma Odinga and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. His father was the first Vice President of Kenya under President Jomo Kenyatta. Raila is part of the Luo ethnic group.

He went to Kisumu Union Primary and Maranda High School. In 1962, his father sent him to Germany to continue his studies.

Studying in East Germany

For the next two years, he attended the Herder Institution. This school taught foreign students the German language. It was part of the University of Leipzig in East Germany. In 1965, he received a scholarship. This allowed him to study at the Technische Hochschule (technical college) of Magdeburg. This college is now part of Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg.

In 1970, he earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Welding. While studying during the Cold War, he could visit West Berlin. He often brought goods not found in East Berlin back for his friends.

Career Journey

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 was the only company in Kenya that made liquid petroleum gas cylinders.

Working for the Government

In 1974, Odinga was chosen as the group standards manager for the Kenya Bureau of Standards. After four years, he was promoted. In 1978, he became the deputy director. He held this job until 1982.

Political Journey

Fighting for Democracy

In August 1982, there was an attempt to change the government in Kenya. Raila Odinga was arrested and held without trial. He was accused of being involved in the events. He was released six years later in February 1988. However, he was arrested again in August of the same year. He was released in June 1989.

During this time, the Kenyan government often violated human rights. Odinga was placed under house arrest for seven months. He was later held without trial for six years. Hundreds of Kenyans died during the events of 1982.

One of his hardest experiences was when his mother died in 1984. The prison guards took two months to tell him about her death.

He was released on February 6, 1988. But he was arrested again in September 1988. This was 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 people curious about him. 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 again on June 12, 1989. He was then arrested a third time on July 5, 1990. He was with other human rights activists. Odinga was finally released on June 21, 1991. In October, he left Kenya for Norway. There were concerns that the government might try to harm him.

Multi-Party Politics Returns

When Odinga went to Norway, a new group had formed. It was called the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD). This group wanted to bring back multi-party democracy to Kenya. In February 1992, Odinga returned and joined FORD. His father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, led the group. Raila became the Vice Chairman of the party's General Purposes Committee.

Before the 1992 General Election, FORD split into two groups. One was FORD-Kenya, led by Odinga's father. The other was FORD-Asili. Odinga became Ford-Kenya's Deputy Director of Elections. Odinga won the Langata Constituency parliamentary seat. This seat was previously held by Philip Leakey.

After 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. He then joined the National Development Party (NDP).

Serving as a Member of Parliament

In his first attempt to become president in the 1997 General Election, Odinga came third. The winner was Daniel arap Moi, the current president. Mwai Kibaki was the candidate for the Democratic Party. However, Odinga kept his seat as the Langata MP.

Working with KANU

In a surprising move, Odinga decided to support Moi, who had been his political rival. His party, NDP, joined with Moi's KANU party. Many Kenyans saw KANU as a symbol of oppression. The new group was called New KANU. Some of Odinga's supporters felt he had betrayed his earlier goals. He accepted a job in Moi's government as Energy Minister. He served from June 2001 to 2002, during Moi's last term.

Later that year, Odinga was elected as KANU's Secretary General. Many believed Odinga hoped to become president through KANU. He also hoped to gain Moi's support.

In 2002, Moi chose Uhuru Kenyatta to be his successor. Uhuru was the son of Kenya's first president, Jomo Kenyatta. He was also new to politics. This upset Odinga and many others in the party. Moi publicly asked Odinga and others to support Uhuru. Many loyal party members felt this was unfair. They felt they were being asked to step aside for a newcomer. Odinga and other KANU members disagreed. They said Uhuru was too young and lacked leadership skills. Moi insisted that leadership should pass to a younger generation.

Many party members openly disagreed with Moi. This led to the creation of the Rainbow Movement. This group was made up of unhappy KANU members who left the party. Odinga led this exit, and many important figures left KANU. Moi was left with his chosen successor and a much weaker party. The Rainbow Movement then joined the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). This party later teamed up with Mwai Kibaki's National Alliance Party of Kenya (NAK). NAK was a group of several other parties. Together, they formed the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC).

The National Rainbow Coalition (NARC)

People were worried that this strong opposition group might not unite. They feared it would fail to support one candidate, as had happened before. This would make it easy for the government to win. But Odinga declared "Kibaki tosha." This means "Kibaki is sufficient" in Swahili. It was his way of supporting Kibaki as the candidate. This decision settled the issue. NARC then defeated Moi's chosen candidate, Uhuru Kenyatta. The opposition won by a large margin, getting 67% of the votes. This was a big defeat for Moi. Odinga led the campaign for Kibaki across the country. This happened while Kibaki was recovering from an accident.

The NARC Agreement

Odinga with Gordon Brown at Kibera

When President Kibaki took office, he did not make Odinga Prime Minister. This was against an agreement made before the election. (At that time, Kenya's constitution did not have a Prime Minister position). He also did not give Odinga's group (LDP) half of the cabinet jobs. Instead, he tried to increase his own NAK group's power in the cabinet. He even appointed MPs from other opposition parties.

This perceived "betrayal" caused growing unhappiness. Over time, it led to open disagreement and a split within the cabinet. A main point of disagreement was a plan for a new constitution. This was a big promise during the election. It had united Kibaki's NAK and Odinga's LDP. This new constitution was supposed to reduce the president's powers. This was to prevent the abuse of power seen in past governments.

The 2005 Referendum

Once in power, Kibaki's government created a committee for the constitution. This committee presented a draft constitution. Many felt it would give the president more power. It also seemed to weaken local governments. This was different from the plan before the election.

Odinga disagreed with this. He and his LDP cabinet members campaigned against it. They urged people to vote "No" in the referendum. They campaigned against the president and his supporters. When the document was put to a vote on November 21, 2005, the government lost. The "No" side won with 57% of the votes. This was embarrassing for Kibaki. Only one of the eight provinces voted "yes." This was his home province, where the Kikuyu tribe is dominant. This showed his campaign was seen as based on ethnicity.

President Kibaki was shocked and disappointed. He fired his entire cabinet on November 23, 2005. When a new cabinet was formed two weeks later, Odinga and his LDP group were not included.

Forming the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM)

Odinga then led the creation of a new opposition group. It was called the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). The color orange was the symbol for the "No" vote in the constitutional referendum.

The Handshake for Peace

In March 2018, Raila Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta met. They shook hands in a political gesture. This was meant to calm political tensions after the 2017 general elections. This "handshake" led to William Ruto being less involved in the government. Raila Odinga became a key figure in government decisions. The handshake also led to the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).

The Building Bridges Initiative

After the March 2018 agreement, Odinga and President Kenyatta started a joint task force. This group was to gather ideas from Kenyans. After traveling the country, they gave their report to President Kenyatta on November 26, 2019. It was then publicly launched. Many leaders in Kenya and worldwide praised their efforts for peace. The Supreme Court of Kenya later ruled in 2022 that the BBI was against the constitution.

African Union Role

In 2018, Odinga was appointed as the African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development. This means he helped with building projects across Africa for the African Union Commission. He left this role on February 23, 2023.

Running for President Again

On December 10, 2021, Odinga announced he would run for president for the fifth time. This ended months of waiting after his agreement with President Kenyatta. He made his announcement at the Azimio La Umoja Convention in Nairobi. This convention would be his platform for the election.

His Nicknames

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

Presidential Elections

The 2007 Election

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

Odinga addressing the Kenyan media during the 2007–08 Kenyan crisis

In August 2007, Odinga's own 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 September 1, 2007, the ODM chose Odinga as its presidential candidate. This happened at a meeting in Nairobi. Odinga received many votes. The other candidates, Musalia Mudavadi and William Ruto, received fewer. Najib Balala had already stepped down and supported Odinga. The candidates who lost then supported Odinga. Mudavadi was chosen as his running mate.

Odinga then started his presidential campaign in Uhuru Park in Nairobi on October 6, 2007.

Odinga's attempt to become president failed. On December 30, 2007, the Electoral Commission announced Kibaki as the winner. Kibaki was ahead of Odinga by about 232,000 votes. Some experts, like Jeffrey Sachs, said the United States should have handled the situation differently. He suggested an independent recount of the votes.

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama of the United States pose for a photo during a reception at the Metropolitan Museum in New York with Odinga and his wife Ida Odinga (2009)

Odinga and his ODM leaders protested the decision. James Orengo and Prof. Nyong'o called for public action. Later, violence broke out in the country. The government responded strongly. They sent police to stop the protests.

After two months of unrest, about 1000 people died. About 250,000 people had to leave their homes. In February 2008, Odinga and Kibaki made an agreement. It was arranged by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. This agreement allowed them to share power. It also created the position of Prime Minister. Odinga was sworn in as Prime Minister on April 17, 2008. The last person to hold this job was Jomo Kenyatta in 1963-1964. Odinga is the second person in Kenya's history to be Prime Minister.

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

The 2013 Election

Odinga speaking at a visit to Peace Corps

The next presidential election Odinga ran in was in March 2013. This was when Kibaki was handing over power. There was uncertainty about Odinga's main rivals, Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto. They had been accused by the ICC of being involved in the 2007 election violence. Despite their ongoing case, they were chosen by the Jubilee Party. Uhuru was the presidential candidate, and Ruto was his running mate. Many felt they should not run for office before clearing their names. Others felt their opponents were trying to unfairly remove them from the race.

A survey in October 2012 showed Odinga had 45 percent support. This was more than Uhuru and Ruto.

Odinga's party, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), joined with other parties. These included Kalonzo Musyoka's Wiper Party and Moses Wetangula's Ford Kenya (FK). They formed the CORD coalition (Coalition for Reforms and Democracy). Odinga was the presidential candidate, and Kalonzo was his running mate. They faced the Jubilee coalition.

Some Western countries did not support Uhuru and Ruto. This was because of their ICC cases. Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan shared his concerns. Former US Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Johnnie Carson also warned against electing Uhuru Kenyatta and William Ruto. He famously said, "Choices have consequences." He was talking about how US-Kenyan relations might change if Uhuru became president.

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

Odinga ran for president in the elections on March 4, 2013. He received 5,340,546 votes. This was 43.70% of the total votes. The winner, Uhuru Kenyatta, received 6,173,433 votes (50.51%). Since Uhuru got more than 50% plus one vote, he won in the first round. A second round between the top two candidates was not needed.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) announced Uhuru Kenyatta as the president-elect. This happened on Saturday, March 9, at 2:44 pm. Uhuru was set to become Kenya's 4th president.

However, Odinga held a press conference after the results. He said the election had many problems. He mentioned issues with the voter registration and vote counting systems. He claimed that the manual counting was suspicious. He said he had no choice but to challenge the result in Kenya's highest court, The Supreme Court.

Odinga and his lawyers asked a consultant to investigate the technology used in the election. The IEBC had claimed there were "technological challenges." They said servers were overloaded and the database crashed.

Kenya's chief justice, Dr. Willy Mutunga, announced on March 11 that the Supreme Court was ready. They would give their decision within 14 days, as required by the constitution.

During the court hearing, Chief Justice Willy Mutunga rejected some of Odinga's evidence. He said it was "new evidence" and not allowed. The Supreme Court then dismissed the petition on March 30, 2013. The Supreme Court confirmed Uhuru as the next president. It also said that the IEBC should not have included invalid votes in the final count. Chief Justice Willy Mutunga also asked for a criminal investigation into the IEBC.

After the Supreme Court dismissed his case, Odinga went to South Africa. He did not attend Uhuru Kenyatta's inauguration. This ceremony was held on April 9, 2013. The swearing-in marked the end of Odinga's time as Prime Minister.

An investigation report was published online. It inspired a documentary called "50+1 – The Inside Story." This documentary looked at election fraud and corruption in the justice system. In it, Odinga suggested that the court might have avoided looking closely at the technical evidence. He believed this was because the outcome would have made the entire election process invalid.

The 2017 Presidential Elections

Claims of Cheating

Odinga and his lawyers claimed that people linked to his main opponent, Uhuru Kenyatta, had hacked into the IEBC server. They said the election results were fake because they had been changed by a computer program. This program was designed to keep an 11% difference between his votes and Uhuru's votes. He argued that these were not real votes from people. Instead, they were numbers created by a computer formula. He said this hacking affected the entire election, not just the presidential results. He called it "the biggest vote theft in Kenya's history." Later, while votes were still being counted, Odinga said his team had secret information from the IEBC. This information showed him leading with 8 million votes, while Uhuru had 7 million. Based on this, he demanded to be declared the fifth president of Kenya.

However, the IEBC rejected Odinga's claims. They said the winner could not be announced until all votes were counted. They also said that as an independent body, they could not be forced by a candidate to announce results.

The IEBC finally announced the results. They declared Uhuru the winner with 8.2 million votes. Odinga had 6.7 million votes. The results showed that Odinga's coalition lost many areas. Uhuru's party gained ground in areas that usually supported Odinga. Odinga's coalition refused to accept the results.

Soon after Uhuru was declared the winner, there were reports of violence. This happened in some areas that supported the opposition. However, the violence was not as widespread as after the 2007 election. Both Odinga and President Kenyatta asked the public to remain calm.

Election Results Cancelled

Odinga had first said he would not take his case to court. This was because the court had previously made a decision he did not like. But he changed his mind and filed a petition.

After two days of hearings, the judges made a decision on September 1. By a vote of 4 to 2, they cancelled the presidential election results. They ordered a new election to be held within 60 days. The court's decision, read by Chief Justice David Maraga, was seen as very unusual. It stated that the IEBC did not conduct the election as required by the Constitution. Therefore, the results could not stand.

Despite the Supreme Court ruling, Odinga announced on October 10 that he would not run in the new election. This election was set for October 26. He believed the election would not be free or fair again. This was because no changes had been made to the election process since the last election was cancelled. Also, some members had left his coalition.

The IEBC later said that Odinga had not officially withdrawn from the race. His name would still appear on the ballot on October 26. This led to violent protests in some parts of the country. These happened before and after the repeat elections. Reports of police brutality were made.

Symbolic Swearing-in and Reconciliation

On January 30, Odinga held a symbolic swearing-in ceremony in Nairobi. He called himself the 'People's President'. After this ceremony, TV stations across Kenya were taken off air. About a month and a half later, on March 9, Odinga and President Uhuru Kenyatta appeared together on TV. They called each other 'brothers'. They agreed to set aside their political differences. This was to help Kenya move forward.

The 2022 Presidential Elections

I Raila Amolo Odinga, having been faithful and committed to building a national, democratic, and progressive Kenya in our lifetime, having worked with many patriotic Kenyans to achieve this goal, I do hereby accept to present myself as a presidential candidate at the presidential election on 9 August 2022, following the request and unanimous decision of this Azimio la Umoja.

– Odinga on 10 December 2021.

Odinga was approved to run for president for the fifth time on June 5, 2022. This was done by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC). He submitted his papers as a candidate for the Azimio la Umoja–One Kenya Coalition party. Martha Karua was chosen as Odinga's running mate.

On June 6, Odinga launched his 10-point plan at Nyayo stadium. His running mate and many supporters were with him. He explained his plan for the first 100 days in office if he won.

Odinga outlined a key part of his vision for Kenya. He called it "the People's Programmes." He promised this would be the basis for his platform. The plan included social protection, healthcare for everyone, creating jobs, helping women, investing in youth, education for all, food security, water for everyone, supporting businesses, and building on past successes.

He came second in the presidential election. He then filed a legal case to challenge the result. However, the Supreme Court dismissed his case. Many people saw the 2022 presidential elections as his best and last chance to become president.

Political Beliefs

Raila Odinga's political ideas are similar to social democracy. This is a type of politics often seen on the left-wing in America. He once supported a system where a Prime Minister had executive power. But he later changed his mind. He now supports a presidential system with power shared with local governments. This is what Kenya's current constitution has.

Odinga is seen as a key person behind the idea of devolution in Kenya. Devolution means sharing power with local governments. This is now a main part of Kenya's government. This idea came from the belief that past governments had abused power. They often favored certain areas based on politics or ethnicity. They denied resources to other regions because of their background or perceived disloyalty. Devolution aims to fix this. It wants to make sure all regions get their fair share of resources. This should happen no matter their political views or ethnicity.

Because of economic problems and severe drought, Odinga has asked for taxes on fuels and certain foods to be stopped. These taxes especially hurt poor people. Odinga has supported giving money directly to low-income people. This is already happening in a small way for poor, elderly people.

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 when he was a child. Later, he became a Born-Again Christian. He is a member of All Saints' Cathedral in Nairobi.

Odinga is married to Ida Odinga (Ida Anyango Oyoo). They live in Karen, Nairobi. They also have a second home in Siaya County. The couple had four children: Fidel (1973–2015), Rosemary (born 1977), Raila Jr. (born 1979), and Winnie (born 1990). Fidel was named after Fidel Castro. Winnie was named after Winnie Mandela. Winnie is studying Communication and International Area Studies at Drexel University in Philadelphia. She is also a Kenyan representative at the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA).

In a January 2008 interview, Odinga said he was the first cousin of US president Barack Obama. He said this was through Obama's father. However, Barack Obama's paternal uncle said there was no direct family link to Odinga. He stated, "Odinga's mother came from this area, so it is normal for us to talk about cousins. But he is not a blood relative."

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

The African Union chose Odinga to help solve the 2010–2011 Ivorian crisis. This crisis involved Alassane Ouattara and Laurent Gbagbo. Odinga wrote a 1040-page autobiography called "Flame of Freedom." It talks about his life from childhood. It was launched on October 6, 2013, in Kenya. It was later launched in the United States on October 15, 2013. He was joined by several Kenyan county governors.

Awards and Honors

Honorary Degrees

Images for kids

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  Raila Odinga's signature

See also

In Spanish: Raila Odinga para niños

• Luo people of Kenya and Tanzania
• Raila Odinga Biography