The Lower Eastern Times Opening The Third Eye
Royal Media Services (RMS) chairman Dr SK Macharia has spoken about his decades-long friendship with the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, saying he backed him throughout his political career because of his commitment to democracy.
Macharia spoke on Thursday during Raila’s commemoration at Migwena Grounds in Bondo, Siaya County. He described Raila as a close friend and the kind of leader he believed Kenya needed as president.
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“I have supported Raila through thick and thin. I saw a man committed to Kenya’s democracy, and that’s why I supported him to his last minute in this life. He was a great friend, a great Kenyan, and a president that Kenya needed but never had,” he said.
The media mogul said his bond with the Odinga family went beyond politics, noting that he had long regarded himself as one of them.
“I was not a member of the family, but I considered myself a member of the family,” he said.
Macharia traced the relationship to the 1992 General Election, when he backed Raila’s father, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, in the presidential race against Kenneth Matiba and Mwai Kibaki. He recalled that because he was older than Jaramogi’s two sons, Oburu Oginga and Raila, the elder Odinga asked him to look after them should he not live long.
“Jaramogi told me he has two sons, Oburu and Raila, and I am older than them. He said that in case he never lived long, I should take care of them. That is why I have never parted with Raila, Oburu and their families,” he said.
As proof of his loyalty, Macharia pointed to his support for Raila’s 2022 presidential bid.
“You can imagine a man of my calibre providing Raila with a helicopter, a pilot and fuel for the campaign in 2022,” he said.
He also revealed that he spoke to Raila just two days before his death, a day after the former Prime Minister had asked him to travel to Siaya to support an event. According to Macharia, Raila said he was well and expected to be back in Kenya within two days.
“He told me he would return to Kenya in two days, saying he was well,” he said.
Macharia further recalled the aftermath of the 2022 election, in which Raila lost to President William Ruto. He said Raila and Oburu visited his home to console him, a gesture that showed their personal closeness.
“In the 2022 election, when he did not make it, Raila and his brother came to my house to cool me down. It is not me who went to Raila; it is him who came to my house,” he said.
