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BONDO — Mama Ida Odinga on Sunday gave a deeply personal tribute to her late husband, Raila Amolo Odinga, remembering him not only as a national icon but as the pillar of their family and a man of unwavering resilience.

Speaking during the memorial service at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST), Ida reflected on their 54-year journey together, describing how she unknowingly married not just an engineer — but a “political engineer of Kenya.”

“When I first met Raila some 54 years ago, he was not a politician in any form,” she said.

“With my female friends at the University of Nairobi, we swore never to marry a politician. Little did I know that by marrying an engineer, I was marrying a political engineer of Kenya.”

She said their marriage was tested through decades of political turbulence, particularly during Raila’s multiple detentions under the Moi regime.

“There were years when the children and I did not know if he would ever come home,” she recalled. “But his courage and faith never wavered. He would tell me, ‘Kenya will one day be free.’”

Despite the turbulence, she said their commitment to each other remained unshaken.

“You people know him as Raila of the world, but to us, he was the pillar of the family,” Ida said. “What remained unchanged was our commitment to each other. If I had a chance to marry him again, I would marry him again.”

Ida also offered a message to the spouses of politicians, drawn from her own experience of living in the public eye.

“When you become a spouse of a politician, you inherit his friends — but let him deal with his enemies,” she said, drawing laughter and applause from the mourners.

She reminded the congregation that even as a national leader, Raila never abandoned his engineering roots.

“Raila never stopped being a production engineer. He started East African Spectre, a company that manufactures gas cylinders — that was the engineer in him,” she said proudly.

Ida also recalled their trip to Beijing for the landmark United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995, saying it opened her eyes to the potential of nations that invest in their people.

“When we went to Beijing during the women’s conference in 1995, the tallest building was a four-storey hotel. Go there today and see how China has changed,” she said. “We have leaders here in this gathering — you can make Kenya a better country. That was Raila’s vision.”

Adding a lighter and intimate tone, Raila’s granddaughters shared fond memories of their grandfather’s warmth and humour.

His first granddaughter, Saphie Akatsa, recounted a touching moment when she informed him about her minor role in a school play.

“I told him that I was participating in a small role as a supporting character. The next morning, grandfather was in the chopper accompanying me to school to watch it,” she said.

“Our grandfather would always find time to be with the family.”

Another granddaughter, Seniah Akatsa, said their grandfather had a playful and musical side.

“Grandfather would always come home and play and sing with us,” she said.

The tributes painted a portrait of Raila not only as a statesman and freedom fighter but also as a devoted husband, father and grandfather whose love for family ran as deep as his love for Kenya.