The late George Oduor has been a part of Jaramogi's and Raiila Odinga's family since the late 80's.
A couple of weeks ago, we lost a very good man. George Oduor was for long the lead security officer for ODM’s Raila Odinga. In the lexicon of the street, he was Mr Odinga’s “bodyman.” The most commonly employed term is “bodyguard.” But I never once thought of Mr Oduor in those terms.
To me, Mr Oduor was a “mensch,” the informal American reference to a person of integrity and honour. If we were to put the statues of people of extraordinary character on Mount Kenya, Mr Oduor’s visage would be planted on Batian, the highest perch on it. To paraphrase Shakespeare, I’ve neither come to praise Mr Oduor, nor to bury him, but to speak the truth about the man.
I got to know Mr Oduor well when he came America with Mr Odinga, who was then Prime Minister and had travelled to give the Commencement Address at the State University of New York where I was then Dean of the Law School. Mr Oduor, together with university security, was responsible for coordinating Mr Odinga’s detail with the US Secret Service.
Security protocols were very tight for Mr Odinga, even for me as the host. But Mr Oduor wasn’t fazed – his air was of someone “who had been there, done that.” He calmed down everyone around him, even though he was in a foreign land. He easily mingled with the Secret Service as though he was one of them.
Approachable
I have watched and worked with many bodyguards and security folks over the years. Mr Oduor, like the most successful ones, was always there for Mr Odinga, but was unobtrusive, or threatening. Being responsible for Mr Odinga isn’t an easy task. Not because he’s a difficult man to protect. Quite the contrary. Mr Odinga is one of the most genial and approachable senior politicians in Kenya. And yet therein lies the challenge. How do you secure a man of the people from the crazy lone actor? How do you know who has a malignant intent? It’s the work of his security officers to be discerning and always keep an eagle’s eye. A lone ranger can do anything, anywhere, any time.
Yet despite Mr Odinga’s hectic schedule and his habit of wading into crowds — easily mixing with the most common among us -- there has never been a major incident when Mr Oduor was at his post. He also made sure to mentor those under him. His demeanour and deportment were his biggest assets. Usually expressionless, Mr Oduor saw and heard everything around him. As Minority Leader Junet Mohamed hilariously said in his eulogy of Mr Oduor, he was the keeper of Baba’s whereabouts from whom earthlings would connect with Mr Odinga by phone, or in person. I’ve never met a person who had a negative word to say about Mr Oduor. As Mr Odinga himself said, Mr Oduor was a member of his family.
“Political” funerals are usually graveyards for the truth. Although Mr Oduor’s was a political funeral judging by the list of attendees, I am happy to report that the truth about the man wasn’t a casualty. It’s true President William Ruto took a moment to tutor Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, who had earlier directed some barbs at him. Mr Odinga himself took the occasion to strongly denounce MPs for their illegal and unconstitutional husbandry of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF). It boggles the mind why MPs continue to be bullheaded about a matter that is clearly a violation of a basic of tenet of separation of powers in a democracy. My good friend MP Amollo Otiende, a lawyer and intellectual of no mean repute, should lead the charge to bury NG-CDF. MPs have no business implementing projects. That’s an exclusive county mandate.
Largely respectful
I noticed one poignant thing at Mr Oduor’s funeral. Even though it was politicised, it wasn’t overly toxic. Funerals in Kenya are singular events where politicians settle scores, shamelessly campaign against opponents, and throw mud at all and sundry. Mr Oduor’s last bow eschewed such barbarism. Except in one or two cases, the disagreements were largely respectful. I attributed that to the presence of President Ruto and Mr Odinga, and to the character of Mr Oduor.
He was a man defined by empathy, not antipathy. He was sent off the way he lived life – calm, serene, serious, and humane. The lack of acerbic vitriol or abusive personal attacks for the most part at his funeral spoke volumes about the man.
Rarely do the last moments of a man of Mr Oduor’s station attract such a constellation of political stars. It was a tribute to how Mr Odinga himself treats those who with work him and how much he values loyalty, integrity, diligence, professionalism, and honesty. There’s a lesson there for all of us. Mr Oduor was an exemplar of a person who deeply cherished his profession. This is the moral of his life – be the best at what you do.
Makau Mutua is SUNY Distinguished Professor and Margaret W. Wong Professor at Buffalo Law School, The State University of New York. On X: @makaumutua
