President Ruto has confessed that the death of former prime minister Raila Odinga will remain a big blow to him.
The head of state added that on the day Raila rested, his brother Oburu Oginga shared the news about 6:30am in the morning.
“Oburu informed me that Baba was critically ill. I immediately made a call to those who had accompanied Raila to India, but none of them had any information at the time.”
Ten minutes later, Oburu told the president that it seems Baba has left us. “He wasn’t conclusive. That was about two minutes past seven.” he said.
According to the president, the reality dawned on him when the sad news was confirmed minutes later by Raila’s daughter, Winnie Odinga.
“I told her, ‘Please Winnie, do not tell me any bad news.’ But she said something bad has happened. My father is no more. Those were the most difficult moments,” he recounted.
He acknowledged that the loss of Baba was a big blow to him and the entire nation.
He reached out to Mama Ida Odinga, and coordinated with the Indian government for support.
He thanked the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, one of the best friends for honoring Raila with their military officers to assist in the repatriation process.
