Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Dr Joseph Aluoch, Ida Odinga and Justice Joyce Aluoch in one of their many social interactions.Eminent chest specialist Dr Joseph Amolo Aluoch, who practices at
The Nairobi Hospital and is widely respected for his decades of service in
respiratory medicine, has issued a deeply personal message of condolence to the
Odinga family following the death of Raila Odinga.
The former Prime Minister passed away on Wednesday in India,
after collapsing during a morning walk. His burial is scheduled for Sunday in
his home area of Bondo, Siaya County.
Dr Aluoch recalls a friendship stretching back more than
seven decades.
He told The Star: “I met Raila Odinga in 1953 for the first time when he was
eight years old and I was 10 years old. His father, Mzee Odinga and my father, Mzee Aluoch, were both classmates and dormitory mates at Maseno School. Over the
years, we have kept in touch. Frequent meetings both socially and officially.
Sincere condolences to my sister, Ida Odinga and the children and the larger
family. The world has spoken. Let his soul rest in Eternal Peace.”
According to medical officials at Devamatha Hospital in
Kerala, India, the former Prime Minister died after a cardiac arrest.
The hospital on Thursday said the opposition leader
collapsed during a morning walk at around 8:30am Indian time within the premises
of the Ayurvedic wellness facility where he had been recuperating. Medical
staff on-site administered CPR immediately before rushing him to Devamatha
Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 9:52am.
Dr Aluoch, who was overwhelmed by the loss, explained that
his father Aluoch, was also friends with the father of Raila’s widow, Mama Ida.
He also recalled when Raila brought the “entire” government
to his village home in Kagilo.
“When Raila was Prime Minister, in 2011 he came to my
village, Gem Kagilo, to celebrate my 40 years of marriage to Lady Justice Joyce
Aluoch. He was the guest of honour. He was escorted by hundreds of boda boda
riders. People said the whole government was there,” he recalls.
Dr Aluoch said his relationship with the Odingas has
remained alive through social and official encounters. He noted: “Over the
years, we have kept in touch. Frequent meetings both socially and officially.”