- Mama Ida Odinga opened up about life a year after losing her husband, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who died on October 15, 2025
- The grieving widow admitted she still struggles to accept his absence, often waiting at home in the hope he will walk through the door
- Ida revealed the painful moment she learnt of Raila's death through a phone call from their daughter Winnie
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Ida Odinga, wife of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, has broken her silence on what the past year has felt like since losing her husband, admitting that grief has left her unable to fully accept that he is gone.
Source: Facebook
Raila Odinga passed away on October 15, 2025, leaving behind a country that had known him as one of its most defining political figures, and a family now navigating life without him.
Ida Odinga: "I Keep Waiting for Him to Come Home"
Speaking publicly about her loss, Ida described the past twelve months as an emotionally exhausting stretch of time that has tested her in ways she had not anticipated.
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"It has not been very easy; it has been difficult," she said. "Personally, I don't believe he is gone."
She recalled how his long hours away from home were a normal part of their marriage, and how that same pattern now plays cruel tricks on her mind.
"When he was here, he would stay and come home late. Every time I go home, I keep on hoping that he is going to come back, and you wait and wait until late hours, then you realize that he is not coming," she said.
The Phone Call That Changed Everything
Ida also recounted the moment she learnt of her husband's death, describing a sequence of calls that delivered the devastating news in stages.
She had first tried to reach her daughter Ruth but could not get through, so she rang Winnie instead. Winnie, who was present at the time, told her that Raila had collapsed while out for a walk and that doctors were working to resuscitate him.
"She said they were taking him to ICU, and they were trying to resuscitate him, but I'll keep you informed," Ida recalled.
The wait lasted only ten minutes. Winnie called back with news that no family member is ever prepared to hear.
"Winnie called me and told me we've lost the battle. She said Dad is gone, and that is how I received the news. It was not easy," Ida said.
Her words paint the picture of a woman still caught between memory and the slow, unwilling acceptance of loss, one year on from the day Kenya lost one of its most prominent statesmen and she lost her partner.
Source: TUKO.co.ke