Matiang’i’s Message to Nyanza Leaders on the Best Way to Honor Raila
Former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i has called for unity among Nyanza leaders after the death of Raila Odinga.
Over the weekend, while making remarks in Homabay, Matiang’i observed that Raila had the ability to bring people together whenever the country experienced political tension. He described him as a father figure and a consolidating factor whose legacy needed to be carried forward.
“I had the privilege of working with Baba after the handshake with ex-president Uhuru Kenyatta, and even after leaving the government, we all consulted him on several things. Raila had a way of putting people together. He had a quiet way of consulting and reaching out to people when he heard there was something. When we had something, we would go to him quietly. He never spoke about things before he managed them quietly,” Matiang’i said.
“All of us, whether you were from Kisii, Nyamira, Homabay, Kisumu or any of the larger Nyanza region counties, he took all of us as his children. With that attitude of keeping us together as his children, now is the time for us to pay the ultimate tribute to him by remaining together as a family because that is what he wanted.”
Matiang’i noted that Raila Odinga had many close friends in Kisii and Nyamira counties. He added that Raila was so loved in the area that he had several homes where he could comfortably spend the night and could always share a meal at friends’ houses whenever he visited.
“This is why we need to keep together as people from the Nyanza region,” he said.
Matiang’i urged the public to rally behind all elected leaders so they can deliver in honor of Raila Odinga, whom he described as a true champion of devolution and functional governance systems.
