In his own words: Raila Odinga's most memorable quotes

Raila Odinga joined with Muslim faithful at the annual Mombasa Governor’s Eid Baraza at Treasury Square, Mombasa on April 3, 2025. [Emmanuel Wanson, Standard]

To understand Kenya’s political story, we must trace the footsteps of Raila Amolo Odinga, the man who walked through fire, smiled in storms, and turned politics into poetry.

For more than five decades, his voice has echoed through the corridors of power, sometimes defiant, sometimes philosophical, but unmistakable.

Odinga has been called many names: Agwambo (the mysterious one), Baba, Tinga, and even Jowi (the bull).

To his supporters, he was the embodiment of struggle. To his detractors, the man who never stops fighting. Yet, behind every title lies a man whose words carried both humour and

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hurt, whose phrases turned into chants, and whose political defeats never managed to defeat him.

The Standard has compiled some of his most memorable quotes throughout the years, below.

“The men and women who paid the ultimate price so that we may live in freedom only had the nasty reward of being called bandits and terrorists when the war was over.
“I can feel the pain of the Mau Mau and other freedom fighters. They must have concluded that life is cruel and worthless and that Kenya has no place for heroes.”
“We do not want to honour Waiyaki wa Hinga because he reminds us of how small our contribution is to the emergence of the Kenyan nation. So we would rather let his memory fade because he brings to shame our claim to heroism.”
“Young people now begin the day checking the phone battery and data bundles. Something to wear, something to eat, and a place to sleep come much later. Battery, bundles, and the phone are the new basic needs.”
“Regardless of what you hear, the successes and failures you see, it still pays to work hard and play by the rules. Success is a lie when founded on shortcuts and deals negotiated in smoke-filled rooms.”
“Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o wrote books on toilet paper in detention. Some victims lost limbs standing in water-clogged cells for years. Those who enjoy such privileges as we do must remember that men have died to win them.”
“For my country, Kenya, the picture is sad indeed. In the 1960s, the likely success stories were Kenya and Côte d’Ivoire. Yet look at where we are today.”
“The security of the country must be in the hands of the best men and women for the job.”
“The networks of corruption have become extremely active. We hear warnings to the corrupt, but we see none sacked or arraigned in court.”
“Lest we forget, there was once a Constitution that provided there shall be only one political party, KANU. It created an imperial presidency that could dissolve Parliament at will and hire or fire judges.”
“Africa is endowed with human and mineral resources. But Africa is also the poorest continent on earth.”
When people are mobilized as ethnic groups and not as followers of ideology, the nation always comes last.”
“Soon after independence, Tom Mboya published Freedom and After and The Challenges of Nationhood. Then he was killed, and the pens went silent.”
“Jaramogi was like a pumped football; he could never sink, no matter how hard one tried.”
“Mbwa yangu kazi yake ni kubweka bweka…lakini haina meno…mbwa gani hiyoo?” (My dog’s job is to bark…but it has no teeth…what kind of dog is that?)
“You cannot forget the past, but you can forgive it.”
“Three times I have run for president, two times I have won, and I have been robbed two times.”
“Ruto and I decided that it is better to have an imperfect country struggling to mend its ways than a collapsed one.” August 13, 2025.
“Many people are making noise that I have gone to Ruto and abandoned them. I didn’t go to Ruto; he is the one who came to meet me. My position is unchanged; I am still fighting for the rights of all Kenyans.” March 11, 2025.
“SHA is not working; it must be fixed. Taxes are too high, even the housing one. These things must be corrected, and that won’t happen if we stay on the sidelines.” March 11, 2025.
“At independence, Kenya’s economy matched South Korea’s. Forty-five years later, Korea is forty times larger. The mediocrity of leadership is Africa’s greatest curse.”
“Gone are the days when African leaders misruled their people while the rest of Africa kept quiet under the guise of non-interference.”
“You cannot have free and fair elections when one party controls and monopolizes the instruments of power.”
“Many good policies exist only on paper. The problem is not ideas, it’s the implementation of the disconnect between rhetoric and practice.”
“Once the Moi era or ‘error’ as I call it, prime jobs were stuffed with semi-literate herdsmen. I imagined Kibaki would fix it, but he replaced them with his own kleptocratic tribesmen.”
“Vision 2030 aims to transform Kenya into a second-world economy. It’s not utopia, it’s achievable, because others have done it.”
“I will not interfere with the courts. For now, Ruto is a political necessity, but in politics, we use every option available to win.”
“The bringing in of corrupt leaders was started by Kibaki. Do not be surprised if some, like William Ruto, end up behind bars after the elections…he still has pending cases.”