Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s family went back to the village church. The late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga used to attend services there every Christmas.
On Thursday, December 25, 2025, Ruth Odinga posted on Facebook. She said the church air felt heavy. Everyone missed the man who always joined them at St. Peter’s ACK Nyamira Church. That church sits in Nyamira village. It is also home to Kang’o ka Jaramogi.
Raila’s absence hung in the air. People whispered about it in the pews. His empty seat stood out. It had no name. The church folks in Nyamira felt it most.
Ruth spoke during the moving service. She thought about the hard work to start the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Raila shaped it in key ways.
She stressed ODM looks across the nation. It is not just for Nyanza or Luo people. Party members live almost everywhere in Kenya.
This shows in the Cabinet too. Raila picked smart people from all over Kenya. He wanted them as cabinet secretaries. His steady leadership guided those choices.
Ruth felt sad. Just two months after Raila’s burial, some people attack his name online. They harm the good reputation he built over years.
ODM stays big and full of life. Members must build it stronger than Raila left it. The party can run a presidential candidate.
Ruth recently said she wants that top job. If ODM has no one for it, they should pick her. She knows she can handle the race.
The year 2025 hit the Odinga family hard. It brought two losses. Raila died in India. Three weeks later, his sister Beryl Odinga passed away. She fought a long illness.
At Beryl’s requiem mass in Nairobi, Senator Edwin Sifuna spoke. He told the family not to question their pain. It matched what Job faced in the Bible. They will win in the end.
The whole Odinga family came to the service. Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga led them. Ida Odinga, Raila’s wife, joined too. So did Rosemary Osinga and Raila Junior.
Politicians attended as well. Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi came. Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi was there. Other ODM leaders showed up.
