When I first met Raila some 54 years ago I didn’t see his political side.
I didn’t see it coming either. He was not a politician in any form. I knew his father was but him was different.
And with my friends then I was at the University of Nairobi we were young idealistic ladies who swore not to marry, we swore to marry calm professional men not those who gives to the loudness of politics. I saw I had time, we had no time for the people who are doing political science, the lawyers and so forth. We didn’t know what was coming.
In my group and they know them, the group of the sisters were with at the University of Nairobi, people like Leudewold, Bloody Sockov, Debra Kiaye and so forth. You know you, you were very well. Out of my group I was the first one to marry.
I married an engineer, a man of calm demeanor and reflective character. They all congratulated me because of that. Little did I know I was marrying a political engineer who would proceed to make engineering of Kenya his lifelong project.
I didn’t know. From the turn of events I came to understand firsthand that they mean well I think I understand the meaning of still waters runs deep. He was calm person but as we lived I realized he was a deep thinker of a different kind.
From this turn of events I come to understand firsthand that Raila was not just an ordinary engineer but a political engineer. I evolved, adapted and handled challenges that came my way courtesy of being Raila Odinga’s wife and those challenges were many.
These excerpt from Mama Ida Raila’s tribute to her husband the late Raila Odinga depicts intricacies of love.