Tifos – a giant flag which is one of the colourful components of the football ultras fan culture – are meant to come and go, but Ultras Green, a Gor Mahia fan group, is breaking that rule with a banner of the club’s former patron, the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The banner, measuring four by six metres, has become a permanent fixture at Gor Mahia matches after the fan group unveiled it to a cloud of green and white smoke, crackle of firecrackers, and floating green and white balloons during K’Ogalo’s 3-0 league victory over Posta Rangers on October 26.
Tifos symbolise creativity, pride, and unity among football ultras fan groups, who go out of their way to have a different banner for each match. Each tifo represents a labour of love and communicates a special message – like professing loyalty to the team, inspiring players and intimidating opponents, conveying a political statement, or honouring a legendary individual associated with the club.
As such, tifos are meant to be seen once, but Odinga had a larger-than-life persona that has given the Gor Mahia tifo bearing his image a longer life span. Ultras Green had initially intended to display the tifo to pay tribute to Odinga during the first match Gor Mahia played after his demise but other fans liked the banner and requested that they bring it to every game.
“The tifo has become bigger than us. We intended to display it when we played Posta Rangers and later during the Mashemeji Derby and other big games. However, other fans liked it and now want it displayed at every match,” Evans Otieno, a founding member of Ultras Green, told Nation Sport.
The tifo, as Otieno added, has also become a hit with Gor Mahia’s fan choir. “The choir requested we hang the banner behind them whenever we play at Kasarani because of the cinematic aura it adds to their choreographed singing and dancing when cameras capture them,” Otieno said.
Speaking about the design and size of the tifo, Otieno explained why the banner features the word ‘Jowi’ underlining an evocative portrait image of Odinga in a suit and tie imposed on the club’s logo.
Gor Mahia fans at the gravesite of the club patron and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga at Kang'o ka Jaramogi in Bondo, Siaya County on November 11, 2025.
Photo credit: Pool
“‘Jowi’ is the Luo word for buffalo, and it signifies strength and courage, qualities that were associated with Raila Odinga. We used an image of him in official wear because he was our patron and we needed something that would present him as a boss and a leader,” Otieno said.
Felix Oduor, another member of the group, described the banner as “impactful”. “It is visibly striking,” he said.
“When our match against Posta Rangers ended, the players approached our section of the terraces and sang the Gor Mahia anthem while facing the tifo. It was touching to witness that. We had planned for something bigger but we were working with limited funds and resources,” Oduor added.
“That day we spent Sh35 000. We also purchased firecrackers, balloons, and filled a fire extinguisher with green and white smoke which we used to unveil the tifo,” Oduor said.
Firecrackers and smoke bombs have become components of how Gor Mahia fans carry the memory of Raila Odinga during their club’s matches. It has now become a tradition at Gor Mahia matches for the fans to stand on their feet and engage in jubilant chanting while clapping over their heads when the match reaches the 80th minute. Odinga was 80 years old when he died on October 15 in India. They do so to the crackle of firecrackers, under clouds of smoke bombs, and the glitter of phone torches.
“In Luo culture, we mourn our departed for 40 days. People are still visiting Raila’s grave in Bondo, and we will keep doing this for as long as the mourning period lasts,” Oduor said of the practices.
“We may or may not continue to display the tifo after the 40 days are over, but when we do, we will replace it with another banner,” he added.
Gor Mahia fans assemble next the Kenya National Archives in Nairobi on September 21, 2025 ahead of their league match against Bidco United.
Photo credit: Billy Ogada | Nation Media Group
Justus Okello, also a member of Ultras Green, is the one charged with storing the tifo and keeping it clean. Okello, also a member of the Orange Democratic Movement, the party that Odinga led, describes the task as an “honour”.
“I was very passionate about honouring Odinga in this manner. I was tasked with keeping the banner because I am always the first member of the group to arrive at the stadium,” Okello said.
“I do not see any reason that will make me miss a Gor Mahia match,” Okello said when asked if his absence from a Gor Mahia match could impact the displaying of the banner.
Raila Odinga may be gone, but music and art keep him at Gor Mahia matches.
