BNP Express: Raila Odinga: The Man Who Refused to Retire From Hope

Raila Amolo Odinga — Baba, Agwambo, the Enigma — was never just a politician. He was Kenya’s moral compass, disruptor, dealmaker, and paradox all at once. In this BNP Express, we trace the life and legacy of one of Africa’s most consequential opposition figures — a man who stood up to Daniel arap Moi, built uneasy alliances with Mwai Kibaki, shook hands with Uhuru Kenyatta, and clashed bitterly with William Ruto.

From the struggle for multi-party democracy in the 1990s to the historic handshake of 2018, Raila Odinga’s improbable politics of elite bargaining and national compromise helped steady a nation always on the brink. He embodied both protest and peace; both the dream and the disillusionment of a people who believed change was always one election away.

Now, as he rests, Agwambo exits as he lived — a symbol of unfinished struggle, leaving Kenya once again in reflection, trying to decode what it all meant, and what the country becomes without him.