Azimio Leader Raila Odinga on Sunday revealed that a retired catholic bishop helped smuggle him to Uganda while he was being exiled by the KANU government.
Raila , in a post, shared after visiting Bishop Emeritus Zacchaeus Okoth in hospital revealed that the retired cleric played a crucial role in ensurng his safe passage from Kenya in 1991.
Okoth was the Archbishop of Kisumu at the time, having been appointed Bishop of Kisumu on 27 February 1978, and eventually the Archbishop when Kisumu was elevated to an archdiocese in 1990.
Celebrating the cleric, Raila thanked the Emeritus Bishop citing that his role in facilitating his transport was crucial to his safety.
“I visited Archbishop Emeritus Zacchaeus Okoth, who is currently hospitalized, to wish him a speedy recovery. He selflessly enabled my passage to Uganda and ultimate exile during difficult times and I remain grateful, stated Raila.
Odinga escaped to Uganda in 1991 after he received intelligence that the KANU regime was after him for leading the push for multiparty politics.
At the time, Raila was smuggled out of Nairobi to Kisumu through to Rang'ala in Ugenya and eventually to Uganda, where he later fled to Norway.
All through the transit to Uganda, Raila was disguised on several occasions as a Catholic priest and a Legio Maria adherent.
He was later ferried across Lake Victoria on a boat by fishermen into Uganda where he escaped to Norway on political exile.
While relaying the events of the trip during an interview, one of the fishermen who ferried Raila confirmed the disguise and Raila’s exit out of the country.
"He was dressed like a Legio Maria adherent. All alone. You know, at the lake fishermen believe in so many things. What crossed my mind when I saw this stranger was that perhaps the boss had invited him to pray for us before we embarked on our journey," Mr Njura said in an interview with a local publication.
Media reports claimed that the Moi regime had allegedly planned to cause grievous harm to Raila after several detentions failed to deter him from clamouring for multipartyism.
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