‘He was willing to take a bullet for me,’ Raila pays tribute to late bodyguard George Oduor

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Saturday shared fond memories with his late longtime bodyguard George Oduor, citing that he was among the few people he entrusted his life with.

Speaking during Oduor's burial service at Ramba Boys High School in Siaya County on Saturday, Raila highlighted his late bodyguard's experience due to his extensive training in South Africa, Israel and the United States.

He reminisced about how Oduor would easily identify potential hazards, assess potential risks and guarantee his safety during travels.

"If somebody is intended to take a bullet for you, George. I know few people who can be as dedicated and committed to you as George," Raila stated.

"When we recruited him, he went for training to South Africa and emerged top of the class. Later on, we sent him to Israel and he was exemplary. He even trained in the United States. He knew how to sense trouble."

Oduor, who was Raila's bodyguard since the 1990s, died on Wednesday, April 2, at the Nairobi West Hospital.

In his speech, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader also touched on political issues, highlighting how Kenya can benefit from an efficient devolved system.

"Before its inception, devolution faced a lot of backlash from critics. If it was working properly, you would see the fruits. Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) called on teachers to oppose devolution and raised concerns that the union would die upon its implementation," the former premier remarked. 

Further, Raila urged the President William Ruto administration to devolve such State agencies as the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) and the Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA) to the counties for efficiency of service delivery.

"With a devolved system of government, there is no need for KURA and KeRRA, they should be under the counties. It doesn't make any sense; someone is sitting in Nairobi and there are no roads in Mombasa and Western regions, it's so inefficient," he stated.

The ODM party chief also opined that the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) should be delegated to counties, arguing that MPs should be left to oversight projects instead of implementing them.

"MPs have no business doing roads. The role of an MP is clearly stated: Representation, legislation and oversight. MPs, how do you provide oversight when you are the ones implementing?" he posed.

"Those funds should go to the counties and if Governors mess up with it, we will deal with them, but don't tie their hands and take the credit while blaming the Governor for doing nothing."