- Winnie Odinga opened up about why she carried Raila Odinga's white fedora hat all the way from India back to Kenya after his death
- The EALA member was by her father's side in India when he died on October 15, 2025, and kept the hat close throughout the journey home
- Winnie shared what drove her decision in a BBC interview aired ahead of Raila's first death anniversary
Nearly a year after Kenya lost one of its most recognisable political figures, Winnie Odinga has broken her silence on the story behind the moment that moved the nation to tears.
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In a BBC interview aired ahead of the first anniversary of her father's death on October 15, Winnie, an East African Legislative Assembly member and Raila's youngest daughter, explained the deeply personal significance of the white fedora hat that had defined the former Prime Minister's public image for decades.
What Raila's fedora hat meant to his family
"I had just been so protective of the hat. I just felt that the hat belonged to my mother. I think that's the moment it became real," she said.
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Winnie had been at Raila's side in India in the weeks leading up to his death.
She noted that for the two weeks they spent together there, he appeared to be "perfectly fine," making the news of his passing all the more shocking.
Before Raila's body was repatriated to Kenya, Winnie placed his favourite white fedora on his casket as military personnel paid their last respects in India.
Throughout the journey home, she kept it close, setting it on a separate seat at Mumbai airport and holding it aboard the Kenya Airways flight back to Nairobi.
When she touched down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on 16 October 2025, cameras captured her clutching the hat tightly against her chest. The images circulated widely, striking a chord with Kenyans who had followed Raila's political journey for generations.
Inside the VIP lounge, Winnie knelt before her mother, Ida Odinga, and placed the white hat gently on her lap.
President William Ruto stood nearby as the two women shared the moment. Ida, dressed entirely in black and wearing a black fedora of her own, created a striking visual contrast with the white hat her late husband had made iconic.
The white fedora had accompanied Raila through decades of political campaigns, rallies and landmark moments in Kenyan history, becoming inseparable from his public identity.
For many observers, its return to Kenyan soil without its owner carried a weight that words could not fully capture.
Some political analysts saw the handover as a symbolic gesture pointing to the continuation of Raila's legacy through his family, while others simply recognised it as a daughter honouring her father's memory in the best way she could.
Raila Odinga died aged 80.
Watch the interview below:
Will there be a candlelight vigil ahead of Raila's anniversary?
TUKO.co.ke also highlighted facts about Ida’s candle-lighting ceremony for Raila Odinga’s first death anniversary, including how Kenyans across the country can take part.
The nationwide tributes come as the Odinga family and political leaders call for reflection rather than rivalry. Raila’s main memorial ceremony is scheduled for October 15 in Bondo, Siaya County.
Source: TUKO.co.ke