Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s longtime bodyguard, Maurice Ogeta, has revealed that he lost Sh14.7 million in savings when he was abducted in July 2023, an ordeal he says set him back financially by a decade.
Ogeta said the money was inside his vehicle when armed men intercepted him on his way to work in Nairobi. According to his account, the abductors took the cash during the incident, leaving him to deal with the loss of savings he had accumulated over the years.
“I lost Sh14.7 million when I was abducted; it was in the car, and they took it. It took me 10 years back because those were my savings,” Ogeta said in a recent update about the incident.
His latest account adds a financial dimension to the high-profile disappearance that sparked public concern and renewed debate about the treatment of opposition figures and their associates during the 2023 anti-government protests.
Ogeta also disclosed that Raila cancelled a planned trip to London after learning that his bodyguard had been abducted, highlighting the seriousness with which the former opposition leader viewed the incident.
“My boss Raila Odinga cancelled his London trip after hearing I was abducted,” Ogeta said.
The incident occurred on July 19, 2023, when Kenya was experiencing heightened political tensions over demonstrations organised by the Azimio la Umoja coalition against President William Ruto’s administration.
At the time, ODM communications director Philip Etale reported that unidentified men in plain clothes had intercepted Ogeta, forced him into the boot of his vehicle and driven him to an undisclosed location.
Ogeta later recounted being handcuffed, blindfolded and questioned about Raila’s movements and plans during the protests. He was released in the early hours of July 22, 2023, after spending more than three days in captivity.
His family had sought court intervention to establish his whereabouts. On July 21, the High Court issued an order requiring the police leadership to produce him before a competent court.
Although ODM officials suspected police involvement, the available reports did not establish a final judicial finding that police unlawfully abducted him.
Ogeta’s latest disclosure brings fresh attention to the personal and financial consequences he says followed an incident that became one of the most prominent episodes of the 2023 demonstrations.