Saitabao Ole Kanchory, the firebrand lawyer and former chief agent for the late Raila Odinga, has dropped a bombshell, claiming the official narrative regarding the opposition leader’s death in India is riddled with "unexplained inconsistencies."

Coming just two months after Odinga’s state funeral, Kanchory’s allegations—though yet to be substantiated with hard evidence—strike at the heart of a fragile national peace. They amplify whispered doubts surrounding the 80-year-old’s sudden cardiac arrest in Kerala and threaten to disrupt the uneasy political truce currently holding the country together.

Conflicting Accounts of Final Moments

Speaking to the press in Nairobi, Kanchory zeroed in on the divergence between family accounts regarding Odinga’s last hours at the Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital and Devamatha Hospital in October. He questioned how the narrative shifted from the former Prime Minister being "strong and walking" to a sudden, fatal collapse.

• The Daughter’s Account: Winnie Odinga previously stated her father died "strong" and in her arms, emphasizing his resilience to the end.
• The Sister’s Account: Conversely, Ruth Odinga, the Kisumu Woman Representative, recounted a heartbreaking moment of "switching off the machines," implying a period of life support that contradicts the "sudden collapse" theory.

"We are being told two different stories by the people who were closest to him," Kanchory noted, demanding a public inquiry. "Kenyans deserve to know the unvarnished truth about how their Baba left them. Was it a cardiac arrest, or was there a lapse in care? The math simply does not add up."

A History of Dissent

This is not the first time Kanchory has positioned himself as the lone voice of dissent in Odinga’s inner circle. Famous for his role as the chief agent in the 2022 General Election, he authored the controversial book Why Baba Is Not The 5th, where he blamed internal disorganization for the election loss.

Critics dismiss his latest outbursts as a desperate bid for relevance in a post-Raila political landscape. However, his comments resonate with a segment of the ODM base that remains skeptical of the swift transition and the deepening cooperation between the opposition party and President William Ruto’s government.

The Political Stakes

For the average Kenyan, these allegations are more than just palace intrigue; they represent a potential trigger for instability. The "Handshake" politics that followed Odinga’s death have kept the shilling relatively stable and the streets calm. Any credible suspicion of foul play or cover-up could shatter that calm, affecting everything from transport to food prices.

"If there are questions, they must be answered now, not in a memoir ten years from now," Kanchory warned. "We cannot allow the legacy of Kenya’s greatest reformist to be buried under a cloud of unanswered questions."