In summary
- Raila’s farewell came exactly one year after Gachagua’s impeachment which Raila’s allies played a big role.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua skipped Raila Odinga’s farewell at Nyayo Stadium because his presence would have shifted focus from Odinga’s legacy to a political showdown.
“He knows that his presence alone would have changed the tone of the day, shifting the focus from Raila Odinga’s legacy to endless political interpretations,” revealed Kiambu Senator Karungo Thang’wa.
The senator added that Gachagua giving the event a wide berth was a “deliberate show of statesmanship, emotional intelligence, and deep respect for a moment that was bigger than politics.”
Raila’s farewell came exactly one year after Gachagua’s impeachment. With Raila’s allies voting in favour of Gachagua’s impeachment, it was seen that the former DP accepted his fate with a heavy heart.
But according to Thang’wa, Gachagua did not hold any grudge with Raila and missing the event did not signal a frosty relationship
“His absence was not indifference. It was reverence,” he said in a statement.
Thang’wa said Gachagua plans to honour Raila privately by visiting his burial place, away from public eyes and laying a wreath on the grave.
When Raila passed away on 15th October 2025, Gachagua mourned him as a man who had shaped Kenya’s politics through his advocacy for democratic principles and that his efforts will be remembered for a long period.
“The enigma Baba, the father of our democracy and a formidable hero of Kenya’s 2nd liberation, you stood tall and strong in intellect, knowledge and quest for democracy. You faced brutal regimes’ brutality, you were tortured, jailed, abducted and detained severally for Kenya”
“When the history of Africa’s Pan-Africanism is written, your chapter as the indefatigable lion of Africa will attract many readers. You dedicated your life in the service of humanity: as a political activist, a Civil Servant, a University Lecturer, an MP, a Party Leader, a Cabinet Minister, a Prime Minister and many other fronts. On all these, your trail of success and impact remains indelible,” he wrote on X.