A sombre mood engulfed an event in Karen on Monday after Maurice Ogeta, longtime bodyguard to the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, shared a deeply personal account of the veteran politician’s final moments.
Speaking during a ceremony where Gor Mahia FC presented the SportPesa Premier League trophy to Raila’s widow, Ida Odinga, Ogeta offered a rare glimpse into the circumstances surrounding the ODM leader’s passing, countering widespread speculation about how he died.
According to Ogeta, Raila was engaged in his routine therapeutic walk within the hospital premises at the time of the incident.
The aide revealed that the former Prime Minister had outlined his plan to complete five rounds along a walking track measuring approximately 50 metres.
However, events took a sudden and unexpected turn shortly after the exercise began.
“After the first round, he just stopped,” Ogeta recounted, visibly emotional. “I became concerned and asked him what was wrong.”
Ogeta said Raila did not collapse or fall, as has been widely speculated in public discourse. Instead, he described a quiet and abrupt halt that left him puzzled.
“He just said ‘Aii’,” Ogeta recalled, adding that those were the last words he heard from his boss.
The bodyguard emphasized that Raila remained standing during the moment, challenging claims that the former Prime Minister had fallen or lost consciousness in a dramatic manner.
“Raila died walking, he wasn’t on bed,” Ogeta stated. “Most people say or think he fell or collapsed, but he didn’t. He just stopped. I even tried asking him, ‘Is there any problem? Can I help?’ The only word he said was ‘Aii’, and that was it.”
The revelation appeared to resonate with attendees, many of whom listened in silence as Ogeta spoke.
His account adds a new layer to public understanding of Raila’s final moments, shifting the narrative from one of sudden collapse to a quieter, more subdued passing.
The event itself had been organized to celebrate Gor Mahia’s recent league triumph, but Ogeta’s remarks momentarily shifted focus to remembrance and reflection.
Raila Odinga, a towering figure in Kenya’s political landscape, leaves behind a legacy marked by decades of public service, opposition politics, and reform advocacy. Ogeta’s testimony now offers a deeply human perspective on the final chapter of that long and impactful journey.