The death of former Prime Minister and ODM founding leader Raila Odinga has reopened a long-standing question in Kenya’s opposition politics: who will inherit his political constituency and carry forward the legacy he built over decades?
Journalist Kwamchetsi Makokha has drawn parallels between the succession battle following Raila’s death and the political contest that emerged after the death of his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, in 1994.
In a detailed reflection, Makokha argued that political succession is rarely determined by family lineage alone, noting that political influence is ultimately inherited by the person capable of converting loyalty, networks and legacy into political power.
Makokha recalled that in the early 1990s, James Orengo appeared to be the natural political successor to Jaramogi.
“Anyone who was reporting Kenyan politics in the early 1990s knew who Jaramogi Oginga Odinga's political heir was going to be. It was James Aggrey Bob Orengo,” he said.
According to Makokha, Orengo possessed many of the qualities expected of a successor, having participated in the pro-democracy struggle and developed a reputation for political intellect, oratory and ideological conviction.
He cited Orengo’s memorable eulogy at Jaramogi’s funeral as an illustration of the political stature he commanded at the time.
Yet, according to Makokha, Raila eventually emerged as the dominant inheritor of his father’s political legacy, despite initially appearing less likely than Orengo to occupy that position.
“Raila began with an inheritance, but he had to fight to make it his own,” Makokha observed.
He argued that political inheritance does not come with a formal title deed, since the death of a political leader leaves behind a combination of memories, loyalties, networks, grievances and political myths rather than a clearly designated successor.
That argument, he suggested, is now relevant to ODM and the wider opposition movement following Raila’s death.
Makokha pointed to the growing prominence of Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who has increasingly positioned himself within the opposition political space despite not belonging to the Odinga family.
“He is not an Odinga. He is not inheriting Raila's party. Yet he has something that may prove more important than bloodline: he understands the language of opposition politics, and he has the ability to communicate it with a fluency that makes people listen,” he said.
The journalist also highlighted remarks by Raila’s daughter, Winnie Odinga, who previously declared: “The King is dead, but long live the crown.”
For Makokha, the statement captured the central question facing Raila’s political movement: whether the crown should remain within the Odinga family or pass to an individual capable of sustaining the political tradition.
He noted an intriguing historical connection in the emerging succession debate.
Orengo, once considered Jaramogi’s likely political heir, is now associated with mentoring Sifuna, creating a link between the earlier succession contest and the current struggle over Raila’s political legacy.
“Jaramogi's crown passed from one claimant to another. Raila wore it. Now it is lying on the political table again. Who will reach for it?” Makokha posed.