Jaramogi Oginga Odinga
Jaramogi Ajuma Oginga Odinga (c.
1911 –
January 20,
1994) was a
Luo Chief, a prominent figure in
Kenya's struggle for independence,
Kenya's first vice-president and later opposition leader.
Oginga Odinga was born in Bondo,
Nyanza Province (present day Siaya district). In his autobiography ,
Not Yet Uhuru, Odinga estimates the date of his birth to be October, 1911. Christened
Obadiah Adonijah, he later refuted his Christian names and became known as Oginga Odinga. He was a student of Maseno and Alliance High School. He went to
Makerere University in 1940, and returned to Maseno High School as a teacher. In 1948 he joined the political party,
Kenya African Union (KAU).
Spurred to empower his
Kenyan Luo ethnic group, Odinga started the Luo Thrift and Trading Corporation (registered in 1947). With time, Odinga and his group undertook to strengthen the union between in the entire
East African region. His efforts earned him admiration and recognition among the Luo, who revered him as
Ker (spiritual leader) – a position previously held by the fabled ancestral Luo chief,
Ramogi Ajwang, who reigned 400 years before him. Vowing to uphold the ideals of Ramogi Ajwang, Odinga became known as
Jaramogi (meaning son of Ramogi).
According to Luo tradition, a
Ker could not be a politician, so Odinga relinquished his position as Ker in 1957 and became become the political spokesman of the Luo. The same year he was elected member of the Legislative Council for the
Central Nyanza constituency, and in 1948 he joined the Kenya African Union (KAU). In 1960, together with
Tom Mboya he formed
Kenya African National Union (KANU). When Kenya became an independent Republic in 1964, he was its first
Vice-President.
As Vice-President he did not agree with the increasingly authoritarian manner of
Jomo Kenyatta's government, and the shunting of resources to the
White Highlands in central Kenya at the expense of the rest of the country. He resigned his post and quit KANU in 1966 to form the
Kenya People's Union (KPU).
The friction between Odinga and Kenyatta continued, and in 1969 Odinga was arrested after the two verbally abused each other publicly at a chaotic function in
Kisumu – and where at least 11 people were killed and dozens were injured in riots. He was detained for two years, and was consigned to political limbo until after Kenyatta's death in August 1978.
Kenyatta's successor,
Daniel arap Moi, appointed Odinga as chairman of the Cotton Lint and Seed Marketing Board. He didn't last long in the post, presumably because he was still outspoken against Kenyatta's policies. Odinga attempted to register a political party in 1982, but when Attorney-General
Charles Njonjo amended the constitution (which made Kenya a
de jure single-party state), his plans were foiled.
Following the
failed coup of 1982 against Moi's government, Odinga was placed under house arrest in Kisumu. In 1990, he tried in vain with others to register an opposition party, the
National Democratic Party. In 1991 he co-founded and became the interim chairman of
Forum for the Restoration of Democracy(FORD). The formation of FORD triggered a chain of events that were to change Kenya's political landscape, culminating in ending KANU's 40 years in power – eight years after Oginga Odinga's death.
Oginga Odinga's son
Raila Odinga is now one of the leading political figures in Kenya while another son
Oburu Odinga is an MP.
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East Africa Living Encyclopedia, African Studies Center, University of Pennsylvania
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Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation
