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Triumphant return to Kisumu
Story by SUNDAY NATION Team
Publication Date: 5/11/2008
A riot of colours and sounds enveloped the Kisumu on Saturday as Prime Minister Raila
Odinga returned to his ancestral roots for the first time since he was sworn into the office.
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The PM acknowledged cheers from thousands of his
supporters who lined the streets amid heavy security.
Excited residents dubbed the visit “executive
homecoming,” in an apparent reference to the powers of
the Prime Minister and the trappings of power displayed
at his homecoming.
Mr Odinga disembarked from the white Kenya Airforce
jet at 12.30 p.m. in the company of party leaders William
Ruto, Charity Ngilu and Joseph Nyagah, to a deafening
applause from the enthusiastic supporters who had
waited for hours at the airport. His convoy, led by
hundreds of boda boda motorcycles, then snaked its way
to the town centre, where business immediately came to
a standstill. The outriders who were meant to clear the
way in some cases found themselves cutoff from the
convoy by people whop thronged the streets.
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Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s
homecoming to Kisumu yesterday. Photos/
JACOB OWITI
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Several youths with brooms performed a mock cleaning of the streets to welcome the convoy. Those who
could not get space in the streets perched on buildings to catch a glimpse of the leader and his entourage.
Mr Odinga, in a brown suit and an orange shirt, was also accompanied by his wife Ida. Police had a rough
time controlling the crowds, as some people lay on the streets, demanding that he address them.
Earlier, the airport management had ordered the gates locked to keep out the crowds at bay when it was
filled to capacity. The mood was reminiscent of the campaign period, complete with vehicles mounted with
loud speakers, full of youths in T-shirts with Mr Odinga’s portrait. Excited supporters lined the main highway
from the airport in to the city centre, singing pro-ODM songs that popularised the party in the pre-election
period.
At the Moi Stadium, the crowd had started arriving at the venue as early as 6 a.m. for the rally scheduled to
start at 2 p.m. Mr Odinga first went to the Tom Mboya Labour College for a meeting with businessmen. The
crowd followed him there. On arrival at the college, Mr Odinga broke into song and dance as he hummed to
the tune of Kisumu Dala, which translates to “Kisumu my home”. The enthusiastic supporters immediately
joined in.
The PM said the ceremony was meant to celebrate the heroes who fought for the third liberation and to
display the gallant soldiers who fought for the ODM cause.
In apparent reference to the violence that followed the General Election, Mr Odinga said: “After the storm
comes the calm.”
Tanzania’s Livestock and Fisheries minister John Magutura also attended the ceremony. Among the
Kenyan MPs who attended the party was Kathiani’s Wavinya Ndeti of Chama cha Uzalendo.
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