Raila Odinga's younger sister, Ruth Odinga, has criticised Kenyan youths for being hypocritical following the death of the former prime minister.
Speaking on Saturday afternoon at Raila's Opoda Farm in Bondo, Siaya County, Ruth criticised Gen Zs, accusing them of reportedly mocking Odinga and wishing him dead while he was alive, but praising him after his death.
She said that thousands of young people only came out to show their love and admiration for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader after his death.
While expressing sorrow over his brother's death, Ruth disclosed that the former Prime Minister died knowing that Kenyan youths allegedly preferred him dead.
She, however, noted that despite the outrageous, provocative wishes on his brother's life, Raila desired the best for the youths, particularly during heightened youth-led protests.
"I want to say something, you, as the Gen Zs, you are the same people who wished Raila death when he was alive, and now you are telling me about the outpouring of love. He died knowing that you Gen Zs preferred him dead," Ruth said.
"For those who said those things when he was still alive, it was wrong. He wished you could have expressed love for him when he was alive," she added.
In her speech, Ruth narrated Odinga's final moments, revealing that she stood beside the former Prime Minister's deathbed when the latter passed away before the machines were switched off.
She emphasised that Odinga's death was not only a loss to the family but a huge loss to the whole nation, reiterating Odinga's significance in fighting for the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Kenyans to date.
"The loss is for Kenya. When I laid him down and stopped the machines, I said Kenya had lost," Raila's sister narrated.
During her speech, Ruth further recalled beefing with the former Prime Minister over the construction of a museum at their native home in Bondo, Siaya County.
According to Odinga's sister, she was initially against Raila's plans to revamp their home into a museum in honour of their father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga; however, she later gave in.
"I remember when he told us he was making our home a museum, I was the first one to protest. I questioned him, "Where am I going to go? But afterwards, I agreed, and now we have a heritage," Ruth noted.
"There is a lot of learning, and it is more monumental. Now that even Raila Odinga is buried there, it means that the Odinga family's legacy will live forever in people's minds," she added.
