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Post by Onyango Oloo on Jan 4, 2015 23:22:31 GMT 3
By Onyango OlooTo Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Mama Ida Odinga and the entire Odinga family:Fidel’s passing has unleashed a torrent of condolences and mourning across Kenya-even from those who have rattled sabres with Raila Odinga on the public arenas of fierce political contestation. For example here is the message that my friend Miguna Miguna based in Canada sent to me and the major media houses a few hours ago: According to those who knew him,  Fidel Odinga was humble, friendly and generous to a fault. He interacted and mixed freely with everybody without regard to class or status. He did not have a tribal bone in his body. Several of the real hustlers in Nairobi known colloquially as “Jo Pap” in Dholuo had dozens of fond anecdotes, when Fidel was still alive of his random acts of genuine kindness-helping out with funeral expenses, bailing out people who found themselves flung in the clink, spontaneously picking the hefty tabs of patrons of various Nairobi pubs and of course donating consistently to Gor Mahia Football club. This is the 41 year old Kenyan who is currently residing in a slab somewhere in an urban morgue. Extinguished together with his own is the equally young unfulfilled life of his cousin. Earlier this evening around the time of the prime news here in the Kenyan capital, I placed a call to one of Raila’s many siblings. She has been a good friend of mine since around 2008. She was totally inconsolable at the passing of Fidel who she referred to as “my son”. When I asked her what she thought the cause of death was-mentioning the theories of “cardiac arrest” and so on, she was firm and insistent: “Fidel was poisoned.”As I write this, the pathologists and other medical experts are carrying out the autopsy and other related tests so it will be some hours or some days before they officially proclaim their findings. But the tears on the streets and wailing on Facebook and Twitter tell a story of an angry, bitter nation feeling assaulted and stabbed in the back. There is a palpable fury out there, railing against the unnamed forces who may have colluded in snuffing out young Fidel Odinga’s life. If the alleged poisoning turns out to be the actual cause of death of Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s son, then it could possibly unleash the kind of collective rage last seen in Kenya in February 1990 when Dr. Robert Ouko was tortured and bludgeoned to death or March 1975 when the popular Nyandarua North MP J.M. Kariuki was similarly slaughtered, gangland style. The alleged poisoning of Fidel Odinga could then be a real provocation by some dark , sinister and menacing forces seemingly determined to unleash a major bloody conflagration in Kenya in this still very young year of 2015. To which I caution and implore my fellow Kenyans: Do NOT give in to the provocation-if in fact that is what it is.Anyone who knowingly provokes confrontation and conflict is pretty cold blooded.
And calculating, perhaps banking on street protests, burning tyres, road blocks and fist fights to unleash a bigger inferno, and then use that as a convenient justification for a major clampdown.For this reason, I appeal especially to the angry youths, specifically those from the Luo Nation: Please remain cool headed as Kenya gathers the evidence and probes the truth about the death of Fidel Odinga.This is the time to remember the words of the great African revolutionary born as Stokely Carmichael in the Caribbean twin island state of Trinidad and Tobago but who achieved global posterity as  Kwame Ture who exhorted us (I remember making a point not to miss his annual Black History Month lectures every February in the wintry environs of the Driftwood Community Centre in the largely African Canadian neighbourhood of Jane and Finch in Toronto); words echoed by the equally inimitable and immortal Nigerian born Pan Africanist,  Dr. Tajudeen Abdul Raheem: Don’t Agonize. Organize.Onyango Oloo
Nairobi, Kenya
Sunday, January 4, 2015
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Post by mzee on Jan 4, 2015 23:40:26 GMT 3
Thura Onyango Oloo, You always capture the spirit of such painful situations like no other. I hope that there is no foul play for if there is Kenya will never be the same again. I hope that the whole Odinga family BUT more specifically RAILA will come out of this tragedy stronger.  Not easy for a parent. I pray for RAO to be rock steady. |
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Post by abdulmote on Jan 5, 2015 0:51:06 GMT 3
I can only imagine how difficult it must be to be a RAILA. Despite the flaws that he might possess like many other Kenyans, I am strongly inclined to think that our nation would have been far worse off without his sacrifices and inputs. For me, it is not Fidel that I mourn about, but rather the pain and persistent courageous resistance to the same that Raila has had to endure, Possibilities could be many |
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Post by b6k on Jan 5, 2015 3:59:01 GMT 3
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Post by podp on Jan 5, 2015 10:16:41 GMT 3
BREAKING: Senator James Orengo's elder son now rushed to hospital after a night out with friends. He is critically ill. #RIPFidelOdinga www.facebook.com/robertalai?fref=nffor those who draw inspiration from the holy book aka bible it is the season of 1st born of opposition sympathizers, actors etc. beware you are warned stop opposition politics tow the line and manna will drop from heaven. that is what fear mongering is supposed to achieve have all cowing in fear. Some adults clearly supported Hitler - as the March 1933 election showed. But the same election clearly showed that a substantial number of Germans did not support Hitler and the Nazis. These people were likely to be a constant thorn for Hitler unless they were dealt with. For these people, the Nazis developed a policy of intimidation. Fear became a by-word for those who did not support Hitler. The wrong comment overheard by a Nazi official could have very serious consequences. www.historylearningsite.co.uk/nazi_police_state.htmThere are similarities between attacks in high-profile cases, for example, the assassinations of former Minister of Interior Seth Sendashonga in 1998 and former Head of External Intelligence Patrick Karegeya in 2014, and the attempted assassination of former army Chief of Staff Kayumba Nyamwasa in 2010, the former in Kenya, and the latter two in South Africa. www.hrw.org/news/2014/01/28/rwanda-repression-across-bordersthe beauty in Kenya is we have our own style. |
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Post by kamalet on Jan 5, 2015 12:16:52 GMT 3
Looks like we are in conspiracy theory alley and this is inevitable when all that is going on is analysed. Fidel being a victim of poisoning seems plausible and it does not matter that the day before he had declined a drink complaining of food poisoning. The theory gets interesting when the company he was keeping is revealed and this is despite the fact that his company was his bossom buddies he even trusted with his vehicles....but the problem is that we have their names and to others their ethnicity will ignite the passions Oloo cautions against.
So Professor Ojwang's denial of any links of his son's death to that of Fidel is important to kill the consipracy theories and it is hoped that the same can be done by Orengo as regards his unwell son.
Last Friday, a friend informed me that a relative of theirs was involved in an altercation leaving one person dead. The police were informed and did their usual routine investigation arresting the alleged killer and preparing to arraign him in court yesterday for murder. There was no taping off of the scene of crime or even the hordes of CID officer as we say in Bel Air Homes yesterday. Two lives are lost through un-natural causes but one gets a lot more attention than the other for the reason that one is from a 'prominent' family!
My condolences to the two families for their losses.
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Post by b6k on Jan 5, 2015 12:47:00 GMT 3
Contrary to a libelous charge against me in another thread by our very own Jakaswanga  , I traditionally tend to scale down my merry making during the festive season. I engage in more reflection & introspection whilst the majority ramp up their baada ya kazi activities to heights that are unhealthy at best, and deadly in a worst case scenario thanks to all the free time. Some guys are known to imbibe hard liquor by the bottle (I'm a lager man personally & you can only take so many, though I do enjoy the odd G&T on occasion). Others mix liquor with things such as Red Bull or Monster, energy drinks that have high caffeine levels amongst others chemicals that can seriously task your heart. Combined with alcohol, copious amounts of the two, one a sedative & the other an "upper" can be deadly. Given the extended number of days during the festive season that enable protracted drinking sessions day in day out, I'd look more towards the lifestyle (binge drinking) scenario than poisoning. Most Kenyan joints don't mind having sons of the who's who as patrons since they tend to be big spenders. Poisoning your clientele is bad for business. Find out what these lads were drinking & how much of it they had & you'll most likely find your smoking gun. Now IF narcotics are added to the mix, & they are liberally available in "high-end" joints in KE more than you might suspect, then you have a whole new ball game.... |
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Post by b6k on Jan 5, 2015 12:55:54 GMT 3
Last Friday, a friend informed me that a relative of theirs was involved in an altercation leaving one person dead. The police were informed and did their usual routine investigation arresting the alleged killer and preparing to arraign him in court yesterday for murder. There was no taping off of the scene of crime or even the hordes of CID officer as we say in Bel Air Homes yesterday. Two lives are lost through un-natural causes but one gets a lot more attention than the other for the reason that one is from a 'prominent' family! Alas, the cordoning off of the "scene of crime" didn't do much good since a largish group of youths chanting God-knows-what while wielding leafy twigs & branches stormed the home and trampled on what little evidence may have been in the area. Only the samples drawn from the silent witness may tell the tale of what really happened.... |
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Post by Horth on Jan 5, 2015 13:05:32 GMT 3
Contrary to a libelous charge against me in another thread by our very own Jakaswanga , I traditionally tend to scale down my merry making during the festive season. I engage in more reflection & introspection whilst the majority ramp up their baada ya kazi activities to heights that are unhealthy at best, and deadly in a worst case scenario thanks to all the free time. Some guys are known to imbibe hard liquor by the bottle (I'm a lager man personally & you can only take so many, though I do enjoy the odd G&T on occasion). Others mix liquor with things such as Red Bull or Monster, energy drinks that have high caffeine levels amongst others chemicals that can seriously task your heart. Combined with alcohol, copious amounts of the two, one a sedative & the other an "upper" can be deadly. Given the extended number of days during the festive season that enable protracted drinking sessions day in day out, I'd look more towards the lifestyle (binge drinking) scenario than poisoning. Most Kenyan joints don't mind having sons of the who's who as patrons since they tend to be big spenders. Poisoning your clientele is bad for business. Find out what these lads were drinking & how much of it they had & you'll most likely find your smoking gun. Now IF narcotics are added to the mix, & they are liberally available in "high-end" joints in KE more than you might suspect, then you have a whole new ball game.... Unfortunately, the smoking gun in these cases ends up being the usual suspect: tribe. This is what Alai posted on FB last night (4th Jan. 2015): Add to that mix Kalonzo’s "cryptic" message of condolence: |
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Post by b6k on Jan 5, 2015 13:57:00 GMT 3
Horth, just one observation about the Robert Alai Tweet. He claims "they can't make us talk so they plan to kill us". I always assumed the problem was "they" can't make them shut up?!
As for Kalonzo, he should keep in mind death will always be the great equalizer. It respects neither rich or poor, young or old, let alone political affiliation. Treating every death of a political figure as though there was foul play is opportunistic & ghoulish. Truth be told even some of the cases he mentions are probably best left undiscussed as the truth may be worse than the fiction he peddles...
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Post by Horth on Jan 5, 2015 14:31:26 GMT 3
Horth, just one observation about the Robert Alai Tweet. He claims "they can't make us talk so they plan to kill us". I always assumed the problem was "they" can't make them shut up?! True. That remark left me scratching my balding head. As for Kalonzo, he should keep in mind death will always be the great equalizer. It respects neither rich or poor, young or old, let alone political affiliation. Treating every death of a political figure as though there was foul play is opportunistic & ghoulish. Truth be told even some of the cases he mentions are probably best left undiscussed as the truth may be worse than the fiction he peddles... Ah yes, but the truth doesn't get them as much mileage as the concocted stories do. At the end of the day, all what our politicians want is to sit at the head of the table for the five year stuff-a-thon, come what may. |
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Post by Onyango Oloo on Jan 5, 2015 22:12:31 GMT 3
January 5, 2015 at Raila Odinga's Karen residence:
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Post by Onyango Oloo on Jan 5, 2015 22:16:49 GMT 3
Feedback from Boaz Waruku on the KPTJ mailing list:
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Post by Onyango Oloo on Jan 5, 2015 22:19:37 GMT 3
Comment from Gladwell Otieno:
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Post by Onyango Oloo on Jan 5, 2015 22:30:31 GMT 3
Kuria Mwangi in Africa-Oped:
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Post by Onyango Oloo on Jan 5, 2015 22:33:08 GMT 3
Matunda Nyanchama on Africa-Oped:
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Post by Onyango Oloo on Jan 5, 2015 22:59:06 GMT 3
Comments from Bethuel M and Odongo Komollo in NVK Mageuzi:
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Post by Onyango Oloo on Jan 5, 2015 23:15:47 GMT 3
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Post by Onyango Oloo on Jan 5, 2015 23:23:10 GMT 3
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Post by b6k on Jan 6, 2015 0:18:45 GMT 3
Why is it that The Star keeps telling different versions of Fidel's final moments? Versions that not only contradict the other MSM storylines but more tellingly contradict The Star itself. Yesterday (Sunday) they were the only media house to claim Fidel was rushed to Nairobi Hospital by his wife where he expired. Today (Monday) they now tell us he expired at his home in Karen like the other MSM houses but add that he died in Raila’s arms! What gives? Here's the new version in full: HOW FIDEL ODINGA SPENT HIS LAST DAY BEFORE DYING IN HIS FATHER'S ARMS - Monday, January 5, 2015 - 07:00 -- BY DOMINIC WABALA - FIDEL Odinga, who died in his father’s arms on Sunday morning in his Karen home, had told friends on Friday that he was recovering from food poisoning after an outing in Naivasha the previous weekend. Fidel turned down an offer of drinks from a friend last Friday, shortly after having lunch with eight friends in Nairobi, saying he was recovering from the food poisoning. Two of his longtime friends, former Kenya Football Federation official Tom Alila and a lawyer who sought anonymity, said Fidel had told them about his mild illness. Fidel died in his father Raila Odinga’s arms in his residence at Bel Air Country Homes, off Miotoni Road, Karen, only hours after coming back from a night out in Westlands. He had been driven home by a Smart Fellows taxi driver in his Range Rover Autobiography, Registration Number KCA 026V, from Sankara Hotel, Westlands, at about 4am. The door of his house was opened by a house help and Fidel walked into his bedroom and went to bed. Shortly thereafter, his wife, Lwam Gatachaw Bekele, who was nursing their baby, was woken up by a commotion and found Fidel in distress. He is reported to have been gasping for breath in bed. The wife called her parents-in-law, Raila and his wife Ida, who left their Kerarapon home and drove to residence. A doctor was called to attend to the ailing Fidel, but he died before being transferred to hospital. Detectives began reconstructing the last moments of the former Prime Minister's son. Investigators led by the Director of Criminal Investigations Muhoro Ndegwa and County Criminal Investigations Officer Ireri Kamwende started by interrogating the people who were last with Fidel. They included a cousin identified only as Bill, a close confidant identified only as Gichuru and three friends who spent part of the night with Fidel in Westlands before he was driven home. According to Kwamende, preliminary investigations have established that Fidel was at his father's Kerarapon residence in Karen over lunchtime. He and Raila sat outside under a tree in front of the house and privately held a lengthy conversation. Taita Taveta Senator Danson Mwazo Mwakulegwa and his wife were at the former PM's residence on Saturday afternoon and said that Fidel looked well and engaged his father in a very long conversation but did not take lunch, despite repeated appeals by his mother Ida. "I was at the house at about lunchtime and we even joked about him not being in Bondo for Christmas because I spent three days there but didn’t see him. We laughed it off. He looked very okay and had a lengthy conversation with his father under the tree. They did not even respond to Ida's repeated calls to have lunch. Then he left," the senator recalled. Fidel left Karen for Westlands, where he joined his friends and cousin Bill. They went to Capital Club Imperial, then had lunch at Artcaffe at the Mall before going to The Oval. It is while at The Oval that a Ugandan friend, Barnabas Tarema, called Fidel and his friends at about 6:35pm and invited them to the Sankara Hotel, where they relocated at 10pm until about 3am. Fidel ordered Vodka. Fidel also met former South Sudan leader John Garang's son Mabior Garang at the same hotel. He left and was driven home by the taxi driver. His cousin Bill, who was with his fiancee Lucy, told the police that they joined the Ugandan along with other friends. The CID boss keenly took notes from some of the people who were with Fidel as they waited for the Government Pathologist, Dr Johansen Oduor, who was scheduled to conduct a preliminary investigation on the body, which remained in the bedroom until 5pm. A family pathologist joined Dr Oduor in conducting the preliminary examination. President Uhuru Kenyatta called the CID boss, who was at the scene, to find out what was going on and was briefed before he sent a message of condolences to the family. Friends yesterday disclosed that Fidel had just bought his wife a Range Rover and another house into which they were planning to move. www.the-star.co.ke/news/how-fidel-odinga-spent-his-last-day-dying-his-fathers-armsWhy are the folks over at The Star reading from a totally different script? The image below is from the same article.  EMERGENCY: A paramedic arrives at Fidel Odinga?s home during the medical emergency that resulted in his sudden death yesterday. Photo/HEZRON NJOROGE All other MSM reports reported that Fidel was already dead when his body was discovered by his wife at 6 AM or thereabouts. The Star's report above gives a timeline of "shortly after (his arrival home at) 4 AM". Why is the medic pictured above taking a defibrillator towards Fidel's house much later in the day? What hope would there be in using a defibrillator to revive someone who has been dead for hours? Look at the bright sunshine indicating late morning towards midday. Note the police cordon tape around the area where Fidel's Range Rover was parked. Was there more to the "preliminary autopsy" that was conducted at Bel Air Country Homes after the pathologists arrived at 2PM? Is that why his corpse was left for over 10 hours in his house since at 4 PM reporters on the ground said they were yet to take his remains to Lee Funeral Home? And of course earlier today we were informed the autopsy was postponed from Monday to Tuesday because it has to be "performed under natural light...not artificial light". What's going on?!! |
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Post by patriotism101 on Jan 6, 2015 9:50:18 GMT 3
Not long ago, OO penned a post titled ...bury Kajwang with the rest of ODM deadwoods- or something to that effect. I suspect, he did not get a chance to go sign off the condolence book at Kajwangs' Runda home- and to borrow from Kajwangs political lingo, the family's pain and trauma on losing him was just kawaida. Emotions are high and croc tears are flowing in buckets- including from some who have swore never to shed them in public and tell it as it is. So people start throwing mud my way, I just need to remind OO that this sentence ........ Grief is personal, so unique and experienced in such a specific way that no one can deign to know how deep, how searing and how traumatic an incident like this is as the family members go through when they are visited by the unwelcome guest, Death.....is also applicable to the Kajwang's. I will not hold my breath on OO's advise on how the former PM should bury Fidel's. Many things have been screwing my head tonight, including how Fidel's widow has been sidelined and ignored in all this saga. Did they say they are going to establish a trust-fund for her and her child? Harambee for a trust fund? makes my stomach hurt- the same pain you get when you visit some of these choma places where the cutting board and the knife is washed once a year- when there is rain. Does this mean she has been disinherited- wewe rudi Eritrea kazi kwisha - It is common knowledge that widows are usually treated like they don't belong by some african communities. When the widow was solely dependent on the husband/his family, the situation can deteriorate pretty fast- especially if she can be blamed in some way for the death of the husband. There are many possibilities here- why did you not call the doctor instead of calling the parents first-why did you not open for your husband- why do you sleep in separate b/rooms etc. In essence the widow becomes the scape goat for the husbands demise. I know the Odinga's also cry, but Gab's and Kajwang's grief is also valid. January 5, 2015 at Raila Odinga's Karen residence: |
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Post by Onyango Oloo on Jan 6, 2015 16:00:49 GMT 3
Not long ago, OO penned a post titled ...bury Kajwang with the rest of ODM deadwoods- or something to that effect. I suspect, he did not get a chance to go sign off the condolence book at Kajwangs' Runda home- and to borrow from Kajwangs political lingo, the family's pain and trauma on losing him was just kawaida. Emotions are high and croc tears are flowing in buckets- including from some who have swore never to shed them in public and tell it as it is. So people start throwing mud my way, I just need to remind OO that this sentence ........ Grief is personal, so unique and experienced in such a specific way that no one can deign to know how deep, how searing and how traumatic an incident like this is as the family members go through when they are visited by the unwelcome guest, Death.....is also applicable to the Kajwang's. I will not hold my breath on OO's advise on how the former PM should bury Fidel's. , what exactly is your point, and what are you reminding OO about? If you read my essay on Kajwang', I am pretty sure you came across the following words: Incidentally, I stand by EVERYTHING I wrote in that Kajwang' essay. If anything, contemporary developments in Homa Bay County vindicate my positions almost on a daily basis. I am perplexed however why this particular broadside is emerging in this Fidel thread. Onyango Oloo |
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, I traditionally tend to scale down my merry making during the festive season. I engage in more reflection & introspection whilst the majority ramp up their baada ya kazi activities to heights that are unhealthy at best, and deadly in a worst case scenario thanks to all the free time. 
