The battle for the posthumous narrative of Raila Odinga has turned venomous, with his daughter Winnie Odinga launching a scorched-earth campaign against Oketch Salah, the man claiming to be the late premier’s "adopted son." In a conflict that blends personal grief with political maneuvering, Winnie has drawn a hard line: access to Raila in life does not equate to ownership of his legacy in death.

The clash reached a boiling point after Salah granted a series of interviews detailing intimate "final instructions" he claimed to have received from Raila on his deathbed in Dubai and India. Winnie, who was the constant presence by her father's side during his illness, hit back with the ferocity of a protective lioness, branding Salah’s stories as "hallucinations" of a man seeking relevance.

The proximity Paradox

"You cannot claim to be the son when the family does not know you in that room," Winnie fired during a Citizen TV appearance, effectively excommunicating Salah from the Odinga inner circle. Her outburst reveals the deep anxiety within the family about unauthorized biographers rewriting history to suit their own political ambitions.

Salah, however, represents a significant demographic—the fervent loyalists who felt a spiritual connection to "Baba" that transcended biology. By dismissing him so brutally, Winnie risks looking like a jealous gatekeeper, hoarding the memory of a man who belonged to the people.

• The "Receipts": Winnie challenged Salah to produce proof of his travel and access to the hospital, a move designed to humiliate him publicly.
• The Political Stakes: Control over Raila's final wishes is a powerful political tool. If Salah's version of events—which likely favors certain political heirs—gains traction, it could undermine the family's preferred succession plan.

A Public Mourning, A Private War

As the ODM party fractures into warring camps, the Winnie-Salah feud is a sideshow that distracts from the larger vacuum left by the enigma. It is a messy, emotional tussle over who gets to hold the pen that writes the final chapter of Kenya’s longest political saga.

For the millions of Raila supporters, the spectacle is disorienting. They are watching the people closest to their hero tear each other apart over the scraps of his memory.