{"id":21433,"date":"2025-10-20T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-20T10:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.funminews.com\/?p=21433"},"modified":"2025-10-20T10:49:52","modified_gmt":"2025-10-20T09:49:52","slug":"he-died-i-lost-a-father-raila-odingas-bodyguard-breaks-18-year-silence-at-burial","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/20\/he-died-i-lost-a-father-raila-odingas-bodyguard-breaks-18-year-silence-at-burial\/","title":{"rendered":"He Died, I Lost a Father\u201d: Raila Odinga\u2019s Bodyguard Breaks 18-Year Silence at Burial"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NAIROBI, Kenya (FN)<\/strong> \u2014 Maurice Ogeta, the longtime bodyguard to Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga, delivered a poignant tribute Saturday as the late statesman was laid to rest, reflecting on nearly two decades of unwavering service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ogeta, who protected Odinga for 18 years, described their relationship as evolving from professional duty to deep personal connection. \u201cHe was more than a boss,\u201d Ogeta said. \u201cHe became a father figure, a mentor, and a friend.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The funeral, held in Nairobi, drew political leaders, family members, and thousands of mourners. Ogeta\u2019s remarks offered rare insight into Odinga\u2019s private life, revealing the emotional depth behind the public persona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFor 18 years, I witnessed his commitment to justice and his love for Africa,\u201d Ogeta said. \u201cApart from Nelson Mandela, I\u2019ve never known another man who carried the continent\u2019s hopes so fiercely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Odinga, who died earlier this month, was a towering figure in Kenyan politics. He served as Prime Minister and led the Orange Democratic Movement, becoming a symbol of resistance and reform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winnie Odinga, Raila\u2019s daughter and a member of the East African Legislative Assembly, praised Ogeta\u2019s loyalty. \u201cMaurice was not just a bodyguard\u2014he was family,\u201d she said during the ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Images from Odinga\u2019s final public appearances often showed Ogeta close behind, a silent guardian through rallies, negotiations, and diplomatic missions. \u201cI never imagined I\u2019d be part of history,\u201d Ogeta said. \u201cBut standing beside him, I saw it unfold.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The funeral procession began at Lee Funeral Home, where Ogeta arrived early to pay his respects. The ceremony marked a national moment of reflection on Odinga\u2019s legacy in civil liberties and regional diplomacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ogeta\u2019s tribute highlighted the human side of political service, underscoring the sacrifices made by those who operate behind the scenes. \u201cHe taught me to lead with courage,\u201d Ogeta said. \u201cHis legacy lives in all of us who walked with him.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the casket was lowered, chants of \u201cBaba\u201d echoed across the crowd\u2014a nickname meaning \u201cfather\u201d that Odinga earned through decades of public service. For Ogeta, the farewell was not just professional\u2014it was deeply personal.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya (FN) \u2014 Maurice Ogeta, the longtime bodyguard to Kenyan opposition leader Raila Odinga, delivered a poignant tribute Saturday as the late statesman was laid to rest, reflecting on nearly two decades of unwavering service. Ogeta, who protected Odinga for 18 years, described their relationship as evolving from professional duty to deep personal connection. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21435,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-international"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.funminews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Maurice-Ogeta-who-painfully-eulogised-the-late-Raila-Odinga.jpg?fit=768%2C432&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21433"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21433\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21436,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21433\/revisions\/21436"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21435"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.funminews.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}