Jaramogi Oginga, Kenya’s first vice president, faced numerous challenges throughout his life despite holding a big office in the country.
Even before and after joining the government, Jaramogi clashed with those in authority, making his life more difficult.
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Jaramogi Clash with Authority
There was a time when the church denied his children the right to baptism after he confronted those in power. Jaramogi had written to a priest wanting his three children, Omuodo Agola, Oburu Odinga, and Raila, to be baptised. The priest agreed to go through with the ceremony on the condition that Jaramogi name the children with recognizable Christian names, including the names Aggrey and Khama. However, on that fateful day of the baptism, Jaramogi failed to honour the agreement, and the humiliated Mary Juma, Raila’s mother, walked out of the church in fury.
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The colonial administration under Edward Carey Francis, a well-known educationist who was opposed by Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, refused to admit their children to government schools as well. After playing an influential role in the struggle for Kenyan independence from British colonial rule, Jaramogi was marginalised by the government he helped establish.
In his old age, during the transition to the “second republic” in Kenya, Jaramogi was greeted with a soft landing at their rural home. At the cost of their lives and pushing most into forced hibernation in very hostile environments, Jaramogi and a band of daring ranks led by bishops Henry Okulu, David Gitari, Alexander Muge, and Timothy Njoya responded to the national calling.
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Kenya underwent a significant transition from a single-party system to a multi-party setup in the 1990s, marked by a challenging period of rebirth. Jaramogi played a pivotal role in the advancement of democracy during this time, contributing to the evolution of the political landscape.
Fare to Bondo
In May 1991, Jaramogi was halted by police in Kisumu town, a seemingly routine encounter for him. Having recently departed from his residence in Bondo, he complied with the authorities’ request to return home as they conducted a search of his premises.
Despite lacking a search warrant, the authorities pleaded with him to understand that they were simply following orders from their superiors. Following a three-hour search that yielded no results and without disclosing the purpose of their search, the police requested Jaramogi to sign a note confirming that nothing had been taken.
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It was during this search that the police displayed compassion. Recognizing the inconvenience caused to the elderly man, they provided him with Sh400 to cover his travel expenses from Kisumu to Bondo and back, allowing him to continue his journey to Nairobi.
Subsequently, Jaramogi learned of the true intention behind the search when Vice President George Saitoti alleged that he, as the leader of the National Development Party, had clandestinely imported weapons to destabilize the government, similar to his actions in the 1960s. Outraged by the accusations, Jaramogi, a patriot, took legal action against Saitoti for defamation.
