![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thefocuspaper.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FB_IMG_1792080961610-952x1024.jpg\")
He traced his relationship with the Odinga family to his first meeting with Raila\u2019s father, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, during a visit to Kisumu General Hospital alongside former president Jomo Kenyatta.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Macharia said the encounter left him convinced of Jaramogi\u2019s commitment to Kenya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI saw a man committed to this country,\u201d he recalled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said Jaramogi later asked him to look after his sons, Raila and Oburu, should anything happen to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cJaramogi told me he has two sons, Oburu and Raila Odinga, and I am older than them. In case he doesn\u2019t live long, I take care of them,\u201d Macharia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added that the request helped shape his enduring relationship with the two brothers and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Macharia said he had continued to support Raila throughout his political career, including providing resources for his campaigns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He recalled supplying a helicopter, a pilot and fuel at his own expense during the last election.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou can imagine, for a man of my calibre, in the last election providing Raila the helicopter, a pilot and all the fuel to do the campaign at my cost,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The RMS chairman also revealed that he had spoken to Raila two days before his death. <\/p>\n\n\n\n During the conversation, he said, the former prime minister told him he was well and expected to return to Nairobi within two or three days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Macharia said the call followed a request by Raila for him to travel to Siaya to support Oburu at a function involving the county government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe told me that he is ready to come back to Nairobi in the next two or three days. He has finished the mission that he had gone to and is well,\u201d Macharia said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said the news of Raila\u2019s death came as a shock, given their recent conversation and the assurance that the former prime minister was recovering well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Macharia said Raila\u2019s commitment to democracy and the country\u2019s interests had earned him lasting admiration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He said the former prime minister\u2019s death was not only a loss to Kenya but also a deeply personal loss to his family, which had regarded Raila as a close friend for decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Royal Media Services (RMS) chairman Dr SK Macharia has described the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as a committed democrat and a great Kenyan, saying his death was a personal loss to him and his family. Speaking at Raila\u2019s memorial at Migwena grounds in Siaya County on October 15, 2026, Macharia said he had […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":27550,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[69,68],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/thefocuspaper.co.ke\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/FB_IMG_1792081250385.jpg\")
<\/em><\/strong>
<\/em><\/strong><\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n