Oburu Odinga is a Kenyan politician and an incumbent member of the East Africa Legislative Assembly (EALA) based in Arusha, Tanzania. He is a member of the prominent Odinga family and is an elder brother to ODM leader Raila Odinga.
Oburu has also served in the National Assembly as MP and as Cabinet Minister. He is a former member of parliament for Bondo Constituency and was the Assistant Minister for Finance under the grand coalition government in 2008.
Here is the former Bondo MP’s story as told by WoK.
Background
Oburu is the son of Mzee Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Kenya’s first vice president. He is the elder brother of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and former Kisumu County Deputy Governor Ruth Odinga.
According to Mzalendo, the EALA MP was born on October 15, 1943.
In the book “Not Yet Uhuru”, Jaramogi narrates how he welcomed Oburu to the world and the instructions he gave to his wife regarding their son’s care. “I gave her a timetable by which she was to suckle, wash and care for the child,” he wrote.
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The former Bondo MP was also baptised with traditional names, something that baffled then-Reverend of Church Missionary Society, Simon Nyende, who conducted the ceremony in Maseno. Jaramogi baptised his son, “Ng’ong’a Molo Oburu”, after the great Chief Ng’ong’a Molo, a man who was loved by the people.
When the reverend suggested Christian names, Jaramogi defended his stance saying, “No, Ng’ong’a Molo was a great chief in the country, loved by his people and I have not heard of anything he did which was objectionable to Christians.” He was turned away.
Jaramogi named his sons, Ng’ong’a Molo Oburu, Rayila Amolo Odinga and Ngire Omuodo Agola.
Education
The politician stated in his book that life growing up was tough and he had to go to school in akala (shoes made from car tyres).
‘‘We used to go to school in akala with one pair of uniform and those were a luxury at that time,’’ Oburu said in a past event.
Oburu started his high school in the prestigious Maranda High School but proceeded to Soviet Secondary School in the then Soviet Union just after one year.
He is an Economist by profession. He holds PhD in Economics from Peoples’ Friendships University in USSR, an MSc degree in Economics and Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the same University.
Property being auctioned
During the launch of his 500 page autobiography titled ‘In the shadow of my father’ and authored by journalist Bethuel Oduo, the politician wife Dr Anne Oburu recounted how their property was auctioned when she was delivering their last born baby.
‘‘My husband has said the whole truth in the book. When people see us, they think we were living high up there while everybody else was living down there, yet we lived through struggle. I remember after delivering my last born baby, we were auctioned (sic),’’ she said.
Career
He has held various portfolios in both Public and Private sector. He was the General Manager of LUTATCO, Finance Director of Lolwe Transporters and Senior Administrative Assistant in Kisumu Municipal Council.
He also served in the Public Service as an economist in the Ministry of Planning and National Development.
Political career
Oburu was a councillor in Kisumu Municipality between 1974 and 1979. However, his political career stagnated somewhat between 1979 and 1993. At this time, his father was making a stab at the presidency, and his younger brother Raila was also consolidating his base within the country’s political scene.
The EALA MP was elected MP for Bondo in 1994 following the death of their father. He was re-elected in 1997 on a National Development Party (NDP) ticket. The party had been formed by Raila after he quit Ford-Kenya.
Oburu was re-elected to the National Assembly in 2002 and again in 2007, however, members of the public, especially from Bondo complained that he was favoured for being Raila’s brother.
“It’s not a crime to be Raila’s brother. It’s a biological accident. I just found myself being his brother and that is it. I have struggled on my own journey and I don’t need his help. If anything, I am older than him,” he once said as quoted by the Standard.
He lost his Bondo seat during the 2013 general elections but was nominated to parliament. He lost again in 2017 but this time around, a nomination did not come through. On December 11, 2017, Oburu was approved by the senate to represent Kenya at the EALA.
While in Parliament, he was the Chairman of the Finance and Trade Committee. He later served as the assistant minister for Finance under the grand coalition government from 2008 to 2013.
According to reports, the former Bondo MP is eyeing the Siaya County senate seat in the upcoming August 9, 2022, general elections.
Businesses
Oburu is among the wealthiest politicians in the country thanks to the vast business interests held by his family.
The EALA MP is a part-owner of Spectre East Africa Limited, the largest gas cylinder manufacturer in East and Central Africa.
According to the company’s website, Oburu is listed as the Chairman of the Board of Directors.
Oburu is also a farmer and rares livestock; chicken, geese, sheep and goats. According to a report by the Star in 2018, thieves raided Oburu’s home and stole over 1,000 chicken exposing the security lapse in the area.
