Saboti MP Caleb Amisi has used the first anniversary of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s death to call for a new generation of Kenyans to pursue economic empowerment, constitutionalism and job creation.
Amisi said Raila’s legacy should not only be remembered through his political struggles, but also through the unfinished work of building a country where young people can access opportunities regardless of their background.
Raila died in India on October 15, 2025, aged 80, prompting nationwide mourning and a series of memorial events ahead of the first anniversary of his death.
In a statement reflecting on Raila’s legacy, Amisi drew parallels between Kenya’s democratic struggle and South Africa’s liberation history after visiting Robben Island, where Nelson Mandela spent 27 years imprisoned.
He said Mandela emerged from prison without pursuing revenge, choosing instead to help build a democratic South Africa.
“Nelson Mandela spent 27 years in prison. When the doors finally opened, he did not walk out to settle scores. He walked out to build a nation,” Amisi said.
The Saboti MP said Kenya had its own generation of political figures who endured detention and persecution in the struggle for multiparty democracy, including Raila, Masinde Muliro, Kenneth Matiba, George Anyona, James Orengo, Martha Karua and Paul Muite.
Historical records confirm that Raila was detained without trial during the campaign for multiparty democracy, including his detention in 1990 alongside Matiba and Charles Rubia.
Amisi argued that political freedom must be accompanied by economic opportunities, warning that democratic reforms would remain incomplete if young people continued to struggle to find jobs and participate meaningfully in the economy.
“Political liberation without economic liberation is a door opened onto an empty room,” he said
The MP linked his argument to his personal experience, saying his father died two months before he was born and that he grew up without parents.
He described education as his route to opportunity but said education alone was insufficient if young people could not secure employment afterwards.
Amisi also invoked the June 25, 2024 protests, saying young Kenyans had demonstrated their belief in a country that had yet to fully meet their expectations.
“Our generation’s liberation is economic. Jobs. An honest government free of corruption and whose fidelity is to the Constitution. A Kenya where your tribe is not your ceiling,” he said.
He pledged to continue pursuing what he described as Raila’s unfinished work, declaring: “Baba taught us to be brave. Brave we shall be.”
His statement comes as Kenyans and Raila’s supporters prepare for a series of activities marking one year since his death, with the main memorial event scheduled for October 15 at his Bondo home.