A section of staff who served the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga at his Capitol Hill Office have been relieved of their duties following a restructuring of his political secretariat nearly five months after his death.
The changes were announced during an emotional meeting held at the office in Nairobi, where long-serving aides who had worked closely with the veteran politician were informed that several positions had become redundant as part of the reorganisation.
Longtime Driver Among Those Affected
Among those affected is Odinga’s longtime driver Philip Juma, a retired Kenya Prisons Service officer who had been part of the former prime minister’s inner circle for more than a decade.
Juma was widely known for driving Odinga across the country during major political events and campaigns over the years.
Former Bodyguard Already Took New Role
Some staff members had already left earlier, including Odinga’s longtime bodyguard Maurice Ogeta, who served the opposition leader for nearly 18 years.
Ogeta was recently appointed as a Security Adviser to the Mombasa County Government under Governor Abdulswamad Nassir.
Grassroots Organisers Also Affected
Apart from those who worked directly at Odinga’s office, dozens of organisers who previously coordinated his grassroots political activities in his stronghold regions have also been relieved of their roles.
Leadership Changes in ODM
The restructuring comes amid broader leadership changes within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) following the takeover of party leadership by Odinga’s elder brother Oburu Oginga.
Oburu has since moved operations away from the Capitol Hill office and established a new political office in Riverside, signalling a shift in how the party’s affairs will be managed going forward.
