Raila Odinga's Biography, Age, Spouse, Tribe, Real Name, Networth and Lifestyle Wikidata | Claim this profile

Raila Odinga's Biography in Summary

Raila Odinga is the immediate form prime minister of the republic of Kenya. Raila was born in 7th January 1977. Raila Odinga was born at the Anglican Church Missionary Society Hospital, in Maseno, Kisumu District, Nyanza Province on 7 January 1945 to Mary Juma Odinga and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. His father served as the first Vice President of Kenya under President Jomo Kenyatta. He is a member of the Luo ethnic group. He went to Kisumu Union Primary and Maranda High School where he studied until 1962, when he was transferred by his father to Germany. He spent the next two years at the Herder institution,which would train foreign students on the German language and was part of the philological faculty at the University of Leipzig in East Germany. He received a scholarship that in 1965 sent him to the Technical School, Magdeburg (now a part of Otto-von-Guericke University Magdeburg) in the GDR. In 1970, he graduated with a diplom (roughly equivalent to a Master's degree) in Mechanical Engineering and Welding. While studying in East Berlin during the Cold War, as a Kenyan he was able to visit West Berlin through the Checkpoint Charlie. When visiting West Berlin, he used to smuggle goods not available in East Berlin and bring them to his friends in East Berlin.

Raila Odinga's family

Raila Odinga was born to the late Jaramogi Odinga Oginga who was the first deputy president and first prime minister of Kenya. He is currently married to Ida Odinga since 1973 with whom they have four children namely 1. the late Fidel Castro Odinga, Winnie Odinga, Rosemary and Raila Junior. Raila is usually considered a family man.

Raila Odinga with his children and grand children

Raila Political Life

Raila started his political career in the early 1980s where he together with his group tried to do military coup against the former president Daniel Arap moi but it failed. He was thereafter detained for 8 years. In 1992 he fought for multipartism in Kenya which he succeeded as he bacame also the member of parliament (mp) for Langata. A position he held upto 2007. He has had four stabs at the presidency with the first one in 1997 and became distant third after Moi and Kibaki. In 2002, he shelved his ambitions to pass the button to Mwai Kibaki with a pre-election agreement that they will share half of the government and that he will made the prime minister. When Kibaki won the elections, he was shortchanged, Kibaki did not appoint him a prime minister, neighter did he share the cabinet with him. 

He openly rebelled and formed a strong oposition which gave birth to Orange Democractic Party (ODM) in 2005. In 2007, he ran for the second time and failed to win in a hotly contested elections that resulted in a post election violence. He accepted to become the prime minister after endless negotiations continued and shared the government with Kibaki.

In 2013, he teamed up with Kalonzo Musyoka, Moses wetangula and ran for the presidency the third time. He lost to Uhuru Kenyatta, a side that formed a formidable force under Jubilee Alliance coaltion with William Ruto. In 2017, he rand for the post again and lost to Uhuru Kenyatta, however the elections were nullified by the supreme court judeges led by Justice David Maraga finding that IEBC, the electoral body, did not follow the while conducting the elections. A repeat elections was conducted and Raila sensing defeat did not partake. 

Barely 3 months later, he shook hands with president Uhuru Kenyatta after swearing himself as the people's president. This gave birth to the infamous "handshake." It started off as a peace finding union, however it has turned out to be a political backing as president Uhuru Kenyattahas declared he will support Raila Odinga for his fifth attempt to become Kenya's president. Raila Odinga has ran for presidency for a record five times in Kenya, the most by anyone. His main opponent for the position is William Ruto, a former friend.

Raila's Controversies

Raila Odinga is claimed to have shared in a loot for imported maize from Tanzania and Sudan while he was the prime minister. He also is claimed to have ran away with billions meant for a "kazi kwa vijana" program. He has however vehemently denied these allegations.