My Boss, My Mentor’: Edwin Sifuna Breaks Down at Kang’o ka Jaramogi Gravesite in Emotional Tribute to Raila Odinga
NAIROBI, Kenya — Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna has delivered a deeply emotional tribute to the late opposition titan Raila Odinga after returning for the first time to his gravesite in Kang’o ka Jaramogi, six months after his burial.
Visibly reflective during the visit, the senator described the moment as “painful” and laden with memories, underscoring the profound void left by a man many considered the face of Kenya’s opposition politics for decades.
“It is my first time coming back here since we buried my boss, my friend, my mentor,” Sifuna said. “It has been a difficult six months for all of us who knew Raila because a lot has happened since he left us.”
Widely known among supporters as “Jakom,” Odinga’s political career spanned generations, marked by his central role in Kenya’s pro-democracy struggle, advocacy for civil liberties, and persistent calls for electoral reforms. His passing signalled what analysts have described as the end of a defining chapter in the country’s opposition movement.
Sifuna recalled a similarly emotional gathering earlier this year at Odinga’s Karen residence, where allies commemorated what would have been his birthday — a moment he said reinforced the magnitude of the loss.
“I honestly miss my boss because Jakom was unlike anybody else we have ever had the opportunity to work under,” he said. “If Mzee was alive, we would be running around the country with him.”
The senator admitted he is still grappling with the absence of the veteran leader, noting that their once relentless nationwide political engagements have come to an abrupt halt.
“I just do not understand why he is not around to run around with us the way we used to,” he added.
Despite the grief, Sifuna insisted that the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) remains steadfast in preserving Odinga’s legacy, particularly his push for accountable governance and a citizen-centred state.
He acknowledged that the past six months have been a period of introspection and challenge, not only for party members but also for Kenyans who aligned themselves with Odinga’s political ideals.
“But everything happens for a reason. It has been a very difficult six months for the party, for everyone who believed in Mzee,” Sifuna said. “But I hope he is not disappointed with us wherever he is.”
In a pointed reflection on Kenya’s political trajectory, Sifuna expressed frustration that many of the issues championed during the 1990s pro-democracy era remain unresolved.
“It is very annoying that some of the things they were fighting for are the same things we are pushing for,” he said.
Warning against stagnation, the senator cautioned that failure to secure meaningful reforms risks burdening future generations with the same struggles.
“If my nine-year-old will still be fighting for the freedom to post something on social media in 2050, then we will not have achieved anything as a generation,” he said.
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