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Comrade George Oduor and the selfless service to the Odinga family
The late George Oduor has been a part of Jaramogi's and Raiila Odinga's family since the late 80's.
It is with a heavy heart that I am penning this tribute to mourn the death of my former comrade-in-arms, George Nyang’ira Oduor. We met in the struggle for change in Kenya around 1990, when the political circumstances of the time called for our duty.
I was perhaps the youngest among the security personnel that guarded Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. Together with many others, George provided the essential security buffer around Jaramogi and other leaders.
After joining the movement for democracy, George, like many others, chose to play the role of giving focused security services to our leaders, who were at the forefront fighting for pluralism. He became part of the larger security network that had been identified to offer protection services to the leading political activists of the time.
The casket bearing the body of the late George Oduor during his burial service at Ramba High School in Siaya County on April 12, 2025.
Initially, I had noticed Oduor’s keen interest in acquiring personal security skills among other equally unskilled members. Due to that disposition, I would spare time to take his inquisitive questions after conducting security post-mortems, mostly after major field events.
Oduor was extremely passionate about learning security skills. He showed great respect to his seniors and never wished to develop any frictions with his work colleagues. He came to learn that in the security career, we were not supposed to talk while in the service.
As the aide of the Jaramogi, I was among the senior security officials who endorsed Oduor’s qualification to be part of the official team, from where he would rise to become Raila Odinga’s longest-serving personal security aide. As team leaders, we used to discuss the conduct of members of our security personnel. Precisely, it was Onyango Juma who inducted the late George into Jaramogi’s wider security team.
Tumultuous political times
Together, we went through the tumultuous political times, ensuring that our leaders were safely guarded both in the field and at home. Diligently, Oduor demonstrated rare bravery and a high sense of alertness required for the job. He never called me by my real name but recognised me as his mentor. Till he passed on, I was not only proud of his professional discipline but also his humility, commitment to duty, tactfulness in making security decisions, dedication, and his spirit of endurance.
At the turn of the year, during the Piny-Luo Cultural festivities in Siaya, we met at Mr Odinga’s Opoda Home in Bondo in the morning where, after hugging each other, he accused me of having disappeared for a long time without resurfacing. We appreciated the challenges around serving leaders like Mr Odinga, which was always a delicate balancing act and involved long working hours.
George Oduor at a past event.
I find it emotionally painful to imagine that I’ll not have another reunion of comradeship with Oduor again.
Historical facts
As a human being, he is remembered for having had his biases or preferences. At a gathering organised to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Jaramogi on January 20, 2024 at Ofafa Memorial Hall in Kisumu, Oduor was reported to have denied an MP a seat, giving preference to Wafula Buke from Bungoma who had remained standing since his arrival. He had told the MP that Buke deserved the seat because without his (Buke’s) sacrifices, the MP would not have had the opportunity to be elected. He soon ensured he found another space for the MP. Clearly, this was a man who knew, understood, respected, and guarded the merits and demerits of honour based on historical facts and background. He recognised sacrifice.
It is important, however, to observe that the sacrifices which personal security service providers put into their jobs are also inspired by the sacrifices the leaders being guarded are making in pursuit of the worthy causes they are involved in for societal good.
There are many lessons to learn from Ja-Alego ’s death, including the need to raise the standards for personal security service providers and the necessity to pay special attention to their welfare and that of their families.
