As the nation grapples under the weight of grief for one who illustrated honour and love for it, Right Honourable Jakom, Baba Amolo Odinga, Tinga; a patriot whose passionate heartbeat for Kenya, fought against all odds until the nation stood tall, and worked tirelessly until justice was served has taken final bow.
Your faith in Kenya’s destiny was not born of convenience but of conviction. Baba, you believed that a better governed Kenya is possible, even when this belief came at great personal cost. You believed that Kenya could rise above division and become a light to the continent.
How you listened deeply and sincerely, seeking always to find reconciliation, forge consensus, and always striving to heal where others sought to wound remains unfathomable. Your rare ability to unite, reason and debate with compassion will forever remain etched in our national memory.
Long before devolution became a constitutional promise, it was your dream. You saw national equity and equality as the foundation upon which every Kenyan, from every corner, could stand with dignity. You not only conceived it; you nurtured it, defended it, and reaffirmed it. In your later years, with a smile that masked pain, you continued to radiate faith in our shared destiny.
It is never easy to mourn you Baba. This was not just a political synonym that you embodied but your lived reality- You were a father to the democratic growth, the new constitutional order, the new Kenya that has become a symbol of admiration regionally and globally.
In the stillness of our grief, we shall not be able to count your astounding record of service to the nation, service to Africa and service to the world. Because it is through your courage, your defiance and your vision that present generations enjoy freedom.
Rest well, Baba.
Your spirit continues to whisper through the conscience of a nation you so dearly loved.
Hon FCPA John Mbadi Ng’ongo,
Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury.
