Western leaders symbolically deliver bulls to Raila’s home

Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi (in colobus monkey skin cape) arrives at Kang'o Kajaramogi with bulls on Saturday. /IMAGE /HILTON OTENYO 

Leaders from the Western region on Saturday delivered a herd of bulls to the home of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in a gesture steeped in both cultural significance and political symbolism.

The delegation, led by Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi, included governors George Natembeya (Trans Nzoia), Fernandes Barasa (Kakamega), Paul Otuoma (Busia), Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi and DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa.

Some of the bulls, decorated in traditional regalia, were received by the Odinga family at their Opoda farm in Siaya county.

On the surface, the delivery was meant to help feed mourners and express solidarity with the bereaved family.

“Ordinarily, the donation of the bulls is simply to support the family to have enough food to feed mourners,” said Godfrey Wakhu, a cultural observer, adding that the gesture also reflected unity between Western and Nyanza communities in a shared moment of grief.

He recalled that Raila himself had once delivered a bull and led a high-profile delegation to the funeral of the late Vice President Kijana Wamalwa in Kitale, an act that cemented ties between the two regions.

Yet beyond the visible sympathy, Saturday’s gesture carried unmistakable political undertones.

With Raila’s death creating a vacuum in Western and Nyanza politics, the leaders’ visit, though framed in mourning, appeared to double as an exercise in political diplomacy. Many observers saw in it a subtle bid to inherit or at least tap into Raila’s vast following.

Mudavadi’s presence was especially symbolic. He and Raila have long shared a complex relationship, alternating between alliance and rivalry, from the days of ODM to their cooperation under NASA and eventual reunion under the current administration.

As one of the seniormost government figures from Western, Mudavadi’s conduct during this period of mourning will shape how Raila’s supporters, particularly in Luo Nyanza, perceive him in the political landscape ahead.

For governors Barasa and Otuoma, both elected on ODM tickets but sometimes accused of straining ties with the party’s grassroots, the visit offered a moment of realignment.

Their participation could be read as an attempt to reconnect with Raila’s legacy and the emotional base of ODM in the wake of its founder’s demise.

Until his death, Raila was considered the de facto political kingpin of Western Kenya, partly owing to his ancestral claim of kinship with the Nabongo royal family of Wanga.

While current King Peter Mumia has clarified that the connection was more symbolic than hereditary, it was a potent narrative that helped Raila consolidate support across Luhya sub-nations.

Today, that influence forms the backdrop against which leaders like Natembeya and Wamalwa are carefully positioning themselves.

Both have been vocal about the need for a new, united centre of power in Western Kenya.

Their appearance in Siaya, alongside Mudavadi, was, therefore, more than condolence, it was political signalling.

Political analyst Martin Andati said the gesture was as strategic as it was cultural.

“They are imagining that Luhyas accepted Raila after he sent bulls to Wamalwa’s funeral. They think that Luos will accept them by giving bulls for Raila’s funeral,” he said. “It’s good to mourn with Raila’s family, but they should know that Luos do their politics differently from Luhyas.”

Indeed, in Kenya’s political culture, where grief often merges with symbolism, such gestures can carry weight far beyond the funeral grounds.

To some, the delivery of bulls was an act of brotherhood. To others, it was an early rehearsal for a realignment of Western and Nyanza politics.

Either way, the event reflected the enduring intersection between culture and power, a reminder that in Kenya, even in mourning, politics is never far away.