Jakakimba urges retention of Raila Odinga’s close aides to preserve legacy

Former aide to the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Silas Jakakimba, has called on leaders within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) to retain some of Odinga’s closest aides as the party navigates the transition following the veteran politician’s death.

In a statement reacting to reports that several of Odinga’s aides at Capitol Hill Square had been thanked for their service and released from their roles, Jakakimba said such a move risks erasing valuable institutional memory built around the long-serving political figure.

Jakakimba said he had served Odinga directly for nearly two decades until March 17, 2023, adding that even after formally leaving employment he maintained contact with the former Prime Minister while continuing to support certain responsibilities linked to his office.

He described Odinga’s inner circle as a small team of senior aides - typically between five and seven individuals - entrusted with sensitive political and administrative roles aimed at supporting the former premier’s political activities and preserving his standing nationally and internationally.

According to Jakakimba, members of this close-knit team understood the importance of working collectively to safeguard Odinga’s legacy, political networks and advisory structures.

“Seeing the nature of my assignment, roles and the back-end responsibilities, it was obvious that at the level of TPM's (All The President's Men - the Innermost Circle), we knew we had to find a way to work together to support Jakom mainstay and ground both his legacy and, global & national standing,” he said,

Jakakimba urged the current leadership of the ODM party, in consultation with officials at Odinga’s private offices, to reconsider the decision and retain some of the former aides.

He argued that the aides hold critical governance insight and political experience accumulated during years of working closely with the veteran opposition leader.

Jakakimba further noted that the aides possess advisory experience and political networks that could continue to yield dividends for the party and Odinga’s broader political heritage.

“I strongly believe that to help preserve the structure, temporal institutional and ideological memory plus attendant and most importantly - holistic legacy transition in honour of Jakom, the current Captains of The Orange Formation in liaison with those at Odinga's Private Offices must of necessity reach back and retain some of those close aides - they hold currency on governance advisory and political dividends, useful attributes required to continue anchoring Odinga's legacy appendages during the ongoing leadership transition window,” he noted.