The archbishop who dressed former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as a priest to escape ex-President Daniel Moi’s era has finally been unveiled.
Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth, who recently retired after five years at the altar, reportedly helped Raila to hide from police back in the ‘80s.
Speaking to a congregation in Kisumu a while ago, Raila told of how Okoth dressed him as a priest and sneaked him out of Ukweli Pastoral Centre in the cover of darkness.
He further divulged that the Archbishop then helped him board a boat at a Lake Victoria Port that took him to Uganda.
That was during a time when former President Daniel Moi had unleashed a crackdown on anti-state politicians who had threatened to topple his government.
Okoth, a close ally of Raila, was hailed as a no-nonsense leader who kept the regimes of former presidents Mwai Kibaki and Moi on toes.
At the time, journalists countrywide often thronged his masses to capture his controversial quotes for prime time news.
Kisumu Archdiocese Vicar General Moses Omollo hailed the leader as a hardworking man that championed for spiritual development in the church.
“He was a no-nonsense man with a strong personality, but in his way he brought joy to many.
“We are grateful for him and wish him joyful retirement. His spirit was to bring joy to the people and bring God’s word closer to them,” remarked the Vicar.
Raila recently made him a member of the Building Bridges Initiative.
