Other than the public image of who he was, I knew him as a friend, a mentor, and a person who truly wanted the best for me.
I first met Baba at Pwani University when he was making his rounds in Azimio meetings. During the stopover at the Pwani University gate, the students insisted that I speak, and he personally requested that I be given a microphone to address the crowd. I spoke my mind as a youth, not knowing that he would deeply agree with my words.
After a while, I was called to Nairobi and met him through his aides. I was then informed that Baba had convened a meeting at Kasarani after concluding national consultations; he wanted to announce his presidential bid, and I was selected to speak on behalf of the youth on December 10, 2021.
I got the opportunity to address a massive gathering, larger than any I had ever addressed in my life. I was surprised to see that while Baba was someone widely feared and loved in equal measure, I was warmly welcomed by his family and given VVIP treatment.
When I returned to Kilifi, I received a call informing me that Baba had come to Malindi to rest and had requested to see me. When I arrived, I put my phone on airplane mode. Other leaders were present as well. While we were seated, Baba unlocked his phone, handed it to me, and opened the keypad, telling me to key in my number. It quickly dawned on me that Mzee wanted my contact directly.
Out of sheer shock and panic, I started typing “70” instead of “07.” After taking a breather, I edited it, typed my correct number, and handed the phone back. He dialled it, but I was unavailable because of airplane mode. I explained this to him, and he told me to disable it.
He dialled again, and a `0721...` number appeared on my screen. He hung up from his end and said, “Save it; that is my number.” This not only shocked me, but it also astonished all the leaders sitting with him. Contrary to the status quo, I had received his direct line straight from him.
That marked the beginning of a long friendship that would later help propel me to my current position as Principal Secretary. Baba used to call me directly—sometimes late at night—just to check on how I and my family were doing. Occasionally, I would wake up to surprising messages from his aides saying, *“I am so-and-so from... send me your M-Pesa number.
I have a message for you from Baba.”* At first, I thought these were scammers until they called directly to introduce themselves. Every time I received such a message, it was followed by an M-Pesa transaction of not less than Sh200,000.
Overall, the total amount I received from Baba as surprise tokens, either sent via M-Pesa or delivered physically through his late personal security aide, George Oduor, was about Sh3 million. This gave me a completely different picture of who Raila was: a father figure, a dedicated mentor, and someone who would personally follow up to check on his mentee.
After his loss in the 2022 elections, I received a call from Maurice Ogeta (his security aide) and Dr Agunga (a Malindi-based businessman and close compatriot of the late Raila Odinga) asking me to arrange transport to pick him up at the Malindi International Airport.
Surprisingly, Baba spent the time encouraging me to cope with his election loss, when I was actually the one who was supposed to be encouraging him. He would always remind me, “Kuvunjika kwa mwiko sio mwisho wa kupika.” Whether we were driving in his car, flying in his chopper, or sitting down to watch football or eat lunch, I always enjoyed his company, wise counsel, words of encouragement, and, most importantly, his unmatched mastery of world, African, and Kenyan history.
When I lost my father on October 20, 2022, Baba got wind of it and called me directly from India to pass his heartfelt condolences and express his readiness to join us for the final rites at our home in Bamba. Baba sent me Sh300,000 in advance to support the burial preparations. To everyone's surprise—and at a time when pilots and aviation staff had downed their tools—Baba drove more than 100 kilometers from Mombasa to our home in Biyubu, Bamba, spending the entire day with us on November 5, 2022, for my father’s burial.
On that fateful day, Baba left us with Sh600,000 to support our family. His speech that day will forever remain etched in my mind; it presented me as a deeply trusted mentee. In that speech, Baba explained to the excited crowd why I had missed out on the male youth nominated senator slot, prophetically concluding once more with, "Kuvunjika kwa mwiko sio mwisho wa mapishi.”
Fast forward to 2024 during the Gen Z protests: Baba called me to his Capitol Hill office in Nairobi. When I arrived, he asked Maurice Ogeta to have me wait at a nearby eatery in Lavington. I was ushered into a private room where Baba shortly joined me. While I was unsure why he had summoned me, he played a YouTube news report on the smart TV showing an Asian country where the president had been overthrown, the prime minister had fled, and the military had taken control.
Baba turned to me and said, "Do you see this, my dear son? This is exactly what will happen if these Gen Z protests do not stop.”He impressed upon me to use my influence as a former student leader to appeal to my fellow youth and serving leaders in ODM Kilifi County to protect the peace of our country. He always insisted that, regardless of our complex political differences, our fidelity to the preservation of our nation must always be prioritised, emphasizing that “you would rather have an imperfect country being mended than have no country at all.”
It has now been a year since his departure. I miss him a great deal, but I remain forever grateful to him for holding my hand, mentoring me, and personally introducing me to His Excellency President Dr. William Ruto.
This is the Raila I knew.
Fikirini Jacobs, Principal Secretary for Youth Affairs and Creative Economy
