Dennis Onyango Lifts Lid on Raila’s Inner Circle, Says Sifuna Lost Baba’s Trust While Babu Was Viewed as a Threat

Nearly eight months after the death of opposition icon Raila Odinga, one of the men who spent decades by his side has offered perhaps the most revealing account yet of the former Prime Minister’s final years, exposing strained political relationships, trusted allies, succession anxieties and the unfinished dreams that occupied his mind until the very end.

In a candid interview on Citizen TV’s Sunday Live with Jeff Koinange, longtime spokesperson Dennis Onyango painted a portrait of a leader who remained politically sharp, fiercely protective of his influence and deeply invested in shaping Kenya’s future even as he quietly contemplated his own mortality.  

The interview has ignited intense debate within ODM and across the political spectrum, with Onyango disclosing how Raila privately viewed some of the most influential figures around him.

How Sifuna Lost Baba’s Confidence

Among the most explosive revelations was Onyango’s assertion that Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna gradually lost Raila’s trust following a television interview that left the ODM leader feeling embarrassed and undermined.

According to Onyango, Raila had initially embraced Sifuna as one of the party’s brightest young leaders and had even incorporated him into strategic discussions involving key advisers. However, a Citizen TV appearance by Sifuna reportedly created the impression that Raila was out of touch with developments within his own party.

The remarks deeply upset the veteran politician.

Onyango said Raila spent hours making calls after watching the interview and never looked at Sifuna the same way again. While the two remained within the same political orbit, the relationship allegedly never recovered to its previous level of trust.

The disclosure offers a rare glimpse into the tensions that simmered beneath the surface of ODM as younger leaders increasingly positioned themselves for influence in a post-Raila era.

Why Raila Saw Babu Owino as a Political Risk

Onyango was equally frank about Embakasi East MP Babu Owino.

Despite Babu’s popularity among younger supporters and his attempts to market himself as the future face of the movement, Onyango claimed Raila viewed him as impatient and potentially disruptive.

According to Onyango, Raila believed giving Babu too much prominence risked destabilising the political base he had spent decades building. The former Prime Minister reportedly felt the outspoken MP was in too much of a hurry to inherit leadership and could upset the delicate balance of power within ODM.

The comments are likely to fuel fresh debate over succession battles that have intensified since Raila’s death.

Trusted Lieutenants and Loyal Foot Soldiers

While some relationships had cooled, others remained rock solid.

Onyango described Junet Mohamed as one of Raila’s most trusted political operatives, saying the Suna East MP remained unwaveringly committed to his presidential ambitions and was particularly devastated by the disputed 2022 election outcome.

Former Royal Media Services chairman SK Macharia was also singled out for praise. Onyango said the media mogul genuinely believed Raila should become president and committed significant resources toward that goal, though some campaign insiders allegedly dismissed his ideas as outdated.

Former Mombasa Governor Hassan Joho emerged as perhaps the most trusted political ally in Raila’s final years.

According to Onyango, Joho’s loyalty was unquestionable.

“If Raila had told Joho to leave Cabinet, he would have left immediately,” Onyango said, describing a relationship built on trust and absolute political discipline.

Sharp Criticism of Makau Mutua

One of the harshest assessments was reserved for constitutional lawyer Makau Mutua, who served as a key public face of Raila’s 2022 presidential campaign.

Onyango accused Mutua of contributing little strategic value and blamed him for helping propagate the controversial narrative surrounding an alternative tallying centre after the election.

He argued that some of the decisions taken during the campaign misled supporters and created unrealistic expectations about the election outcome.

Defence of Oketch Salah

On businessman Oketch Salah, Onyango strongly pushed back against attempts to distance him from Raila’s legacy.

He described Salah as a trusted business associate who travelled extensively with the former Prime Minister and remained close to him during crucial moments.

Onyango revealed he was with Salah in Karen shortly before Raila departed for India for treatment and even used Salah’s phone to speak to him.

He questioned why some individuals were now trying to portray Salah as an outsider despite his longstanding association with the former Prime Minister.

Raila’s Surprising Trust in Ruto

Perhaps most unexpectedly, Onyango insisted that Raila genuinely trusted President William Ruto.

According to him, the two leaders shared similar thinking on several policy issues, particularly affordable housing and broad-based governance.

He suggested that ODM’s participation in government after the political rapprochement was not accidental but reflected Raila’s deliberate belief that cooperation could advance national development.

The Final Days and an Unusual Request

Away from politics, Onyango offered deeply personal reflections on Raila’s final months.

He revealed that Raila had spoken openly about death and had specifically instructed that he be buried within 72 hours of his passing, a request that was ultimately honoured.  

The conversation reportedly took place after the death of former Chief of Defence Forces General Francis Ogolla.

According to Onyango, Raila referenced Ogolla’s burial arrangements and remarked that he wanted the same treatment when his own time came. At the time, Onyango thought the veteran politician was joking. He later discovered the instruction had formally been included in Raila’s will.  

Even during treatment in India, Onyango said Raila remained optimistic and sounded upbeat during their final conversations, telling him he expected to recover and travel briefly to Dubai before returning home.  

The Dreams Raila Never Lived to See

The interview also revealed several projects Raila hoped would outlive him.

Among them were plans for a Raila Odinga School of Democracy and Governance, a foundation bearing his name and a comprehensive archive of speeches chronicling his decades-long struggle for democracy and Pan-Africanism.  

Onyango disclosed that he is currently working on compiling those speeches into a book, fulfilling a task Raila personally assigned to him.  

Despite discussions about legacy, Raila reportedly remained remarkably relaxed whenever the subject of death arose.

“Raila talked about death very casually,” Onyango recalled, describing a man who believed unfinished work could still be completed after his passing through institutions and ideas.  

A Legacy Still Shaping Kenyan Politics

Taken together, Onyango’s revelations portray Raila as a complex political strategist who balanced loyalty and suspicion, rewarded commitment and carefully guarded his influence until the end.

The interview has reopened questions about ODM’s future leadership, exposed old tensions within the party and offered the clearest picture yet of how Raila viewed those closest to him during the final chapter of a political career that shaped Kenya for more than four decades.

Long after his death, the battles over his legacy, his succession and the movement he built appear far from over.