Jaramogi Oginga Odinga[1] | |
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| 1st Vice-President of Kenya | |
| In office 12 December 1964 – 14 April 1966 | |
| President | Jomo Kenyatta |
| Preceded by | Office Established |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Murumbi |
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 1963–1969 | |
| Preceded by | Gilbert Oluoch |
| Succeeded by | Oburu Odinga |
| Constituency | Bondo |
| In office 1992–1994 | |
| Succeeded by | William Odongo Omamo |
| Constituency | Bondo |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Obadiah Adonijah October 1911 (1911-10) |
| Died | 20 January 1994(1994-01-20) (aged 82) |
| Party | List
|
| Spouse(s) | Mary Juma (d. 1984) Gaudencia Adeya Susan Agik Betty Adongo |
| Children | 17 (includingOburu andRaila)[2] |
| Alma mater | Makerere University |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Profession | Teacher |
Jaramogi Ajuma Oginga Odinga (October 1911[3] – 20 January 1994) was a Kenyan politician who became a prominent figure inKenya's struggle for independence. He served as theKenya's firstvice-president, and thereafter as an opposition leader. Jaramogi’s sonRaila Odinga (1945–2025) was the secondPrime Minister of Kenya,[4] and his other son,Oburu Odinga, is a former assistant minister in the Ministry of Finance.
Jaramogi is credited with the phrase "Not Yet Uhuru" which is the title of his autobiography published in 1967.Uhuru means "freedom" inSwahili and he was referencing his belief that even after independence from British colonialism, the brutal oppression of opposition in political affairs in Kenya, meant that the country had still not attained real freedom. For example, Jaramogi's son, HonRaila Odinga also spent eight years in detention, although he later served as prime minister.
Oginga Odinga was born in the village of Nyamira Kang'o,Bondo, to Mama Opondo Nyamagolo and Odinga Raila.[5] In his autobiography,Not Yet Uhuru, Odinga estimates the date of his birth to be October 1911. ChristenedObadiahAdonijah, he later renounced his Christian names and became known as Oginga Odinga. He was a student ofMaseno School[6] andAlliance High School. He went toMakerere University in 1940, and returned toMaseno High School as a teacher. In 1948 he joined the political partyKenya African Union (KAU).
Spurred to empower hisKenyan 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 betweenLuo people in the whole of East Africa. His efforts earned him admiration and recognition among the Luo, who revered him asKer – a title previously held by the fabled classical Luo king,Ramogi Ajwang, who reigned 400 years before him. Vowing to uphold the ideals of Ramogi Ajwang, Odinga became known asJaramogi (man of the people of Ramogi).
According to Luo tradition, aKer cannot be a politician, so Odinga relinquished his position as king in 1957 and became the political spokesman of the Luo. The same year, hewas elected member of the Legislative Council for the Central Nyanza constituency, and in 1958 he joined the Kenya African Union (KAU). He was amongst the founders of theKenya Independence Movement in 1959, and in 1960, together withTom Mboya he joinedKenya African National Union (KANU). When Kenya became a Republic in 1964, he was its firstVice-President.
As Vice-President he did not agree withJomo Kenyatta's government. While Odinga had called for closer ties with thePeople's Republic of China, theSoviet Union and other countries of theWarsaw Pact, Kenyatta was in favor of approaching theUnited States and theWestern bloc.[7] This led to Odinga resigning from his post and quitting KANU in 1966 to form theKenya 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 inKisumu – and where at least 11 people were killed and dozens were injured in riots. That was when Jomo as the President of Kenya was to open New Nyanza General Hospital (Russia Hospital), in October 1969 which was seen as Odinga's project due to his Russian connection. Due to the incident KPU was banned making Kenya a de facto party state under KANU. He was detained along with other KPU members for eighteen months until the Government made decision to free him on 27 March 1971.[8] He consigned to political limbo until after Kenyatta's death in August 1978. In theUganda–Tanzania War (1978–1979), Odinga reportedly supported anti-Idi Amin rebels, sheltering a number of them at his farm inBondo District during the preparation phase for theBattle of Tororo.[9]
Kenyatta's successor,Daniel arap Moi, appointed Odinga as chairman of the Cotton Lint and Seed Marketing Board. He did not last long in the post, presumably due to past grudges and since he was still outspoken against Kenyatta's policies. Odinga accused Jomo as a "land grabber" and that was why they had differed. Odinga attempted to register a political party in 1982, butThe Constitution of Kenya (Amendment) Act, 1982 (which made Kenya ade jure single-party state), foiled his plans.
Following thefailed coup of 1982 against Moi's government, Odinga was placed again under house arrest in Kisumu. In 1990, he tried in vain with others to register an opposition party, theNational Democratic Party.[10] In 1991 he co-founded and became the interim chairman ofForum 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 2002 ending KANU's 40 years in power – eight years after Odinga's death.
FORD split before the1992 elections. Odinga himself vied for the presidency onFord-Kenya ticket, but finished fourth with a share of 17.5% votes. However, he regained theBondo Constituency seat after being forced out of parliamentary politics for over two decades. Odinga died in 1994 inAga Khan Hospital, Kisumu. He is buried at theJaramogi Oginga Odinga Mausoleum in hisBondo home.
Odinga waspolygamous and had four wives: Mary Juma, Gaudencia Adeya, Susan Agik. With these wives, he had seventeen children. Mary was the mother ofRaila andOburu.[2]Mary died in 1984.[11]
He was one of the signatories of the agreement to convene a convention for drafting aworld constitution.[12][13] As a result, for the first time in human history, aWorld Constituent Assembly convened to draft and adopt theConstitution for the Federation of Earth.[14]
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| Preceded by New office | Vice-President of Kenya 1963–1966 | Succeeded by |
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