'Baba ako sawa': Winnie Odinga allays fears of Raila's whereabouts

Opposition leader Raila Odinga’s daughter Winnie Odinga has come out to allay fears about his whereabouts amid rising curiosity after he skipped Wednesday’s anti-government protests.

Winnie Odinga, responding to a Twitter user on Wednesday evening, stated – matter of factly – that the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya pointman is doing well.

Twitter user Omwamba had posed: “Baba Raila Odinga is not in Karen, Baba Raila Odinga is not in the streets, Baba Raila Odinga is not in hospital, Where is Baba Raila Odinga amidst all these demonstrations?”

Winnie however came out to state: “Tulia. Baba ako Sawa. Stop making it hot.”

A wave of speculation hit social media on Wednesday after the Azimio leader uncharacteristically skipped the anti-government protests.

The opposition chief, who on Monday announced on his Twitter handle that the three-day protests will kick off on Wednesday, was nowhere to be seen as his supporters poured to the streets to take part in the demonstrations.

A spot check by Citizen TV at his Karen home found no single police barricade. When we went to his offices in Capitol Hill and at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation, the offices were deserted.

The last time Odinga was seen in public was last Wednesday when he led Azimio leaders in a press conference to protest the killing of over ten protestors in Mlolongo, Migori and Kisumu.

After Wednesday last week, Odinga went under, with his close allies reporting that the Azimio luminary flew to the Coastal city of Mombasa and later spent his weekend at the Vipingo Ridges of Kilifi County.

Odinga then jetted back to the county on Monday and joined the Azimio Parliamentary group meeting for a closed-door session.

It is on that Monday that the State withdrew all his assigned security personnel, affecting his guards and his homes in Karen, Kisumu and Bondo.

On Tuesday, the Azimio principals held a meeting at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Foundation but, again, Odinga was absent in the meeting, with Narc Kenya leader Martha Karua saying the Azimio boss was handling other engagements elsewhere.

It was expected that Odinga would resurface on Wednesday to join the three-day wave of protests, but he never showed up.