‘I arranged for your plane ticket!' Oketch Salah responds after Ruth Odinga claimed she does not know him

This comes after Ruth, in an interview with KTN, said she has only met Salah on three occasions, adding that she does not wish to engage in discussions about him.

In an update on Thursday, February 19, Salah said he has never forced himself into the life of the Kisumu Women Representative or sought her attention.

Salah noted that he only had a relationship with the late Raila Odinga and that it had no connection to any other member of the Odinga family.

"Let me be clear from the outset: if you do not wish to associate with me, that is entirely your choice. I have never forced myself into your life, and I have never sought your attention," said Salah in a statement.

“My relationship was with your late brother, Baba, and that relationship stood on its own. It had nothing to do with any other member of the family.”

Ruth also revealed that Salah was not in India with Raila when he died, wondering why he was absent.

"By the way, by the time I got to India, I never saw him. I'm the one who was with my brother when he passed away. So I came when he had already left. Whether he left because he was scared of me coming, whether he was whatever, I would not be able to tell you. I don't know him," she stated.

This must have struck a nerve as the businessman clarified that he was the one who convinced Raila to allow Ruth to fly to India and be with him, adding that he arranged business-class tickets for the Kisumu Women Rep to join them.

“For the record, I am the one who convinced Baba to have you join us in India, after Jeff Oyier called him several times, saying that you wanted to come. I am also the one who arranged your business class ticket on Emirates,” Salah stated.

Salah revealed that the reason he left India earlier was that the former Prime Minister asked him to travel back to Kenya to conclude arrangements for his son’s wedding.

According to the businessman, he was supposed to meet Raila again in Dubai, but he passed away.

“The only reason I returned earlier was because Baba personally asked me to go back to Kenya to conclude my son’s wedding, which had been postponed several times due to his health. I was supposed to meet Baba again in Dubai on Thursday, after his arrival from Kerala,” he disclosed.

At the same time, Salah asked Ruth to allegedly stop fighting her elder brother and ODM party leader Oburu Odinga.

“I also say this with respect: you should stop fighting your elder brother, who is the current party leader. Oburu did not simply assume a position; he carries a responsibility, and Baba entrusted me, in good faith, to work with him. If you allow your elder brother to be put on the chopping board today, do not be surprised if tomorrow it is your turn,” he stated. 

Salah also reiterated that he did, indeed, spend a significant amount of time with Raila during his last days, stating that he would not allow that fact to be distorted. 

"Finally, I say this with a heavy heart: I am the one who spent most of Baba's final moments with him. Those moments were real, painful and deeply personal. I will not allow that truth to be erased or turned into political theatre," he concluded.

In the interview, Ruth said the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) had already resolved that Salah is not a member and should not speak on its behalf.

“In the party, we also agreed in the NEC that Oketch Salah is not supposed to be allowed to talk on behalf of the party because he is not a party member. I am surprised that I keep seeing him come out and do what he does,” she said.

She further asked him to respect the family’s privacy and stop associating himself with them.

“If he was my brother’s friend or adopted son, as he claims, I would like to ask him to please give us space as a family to be a family,” she added.

The clash between the two comes a day after Dennis Onyango, who was the late Raila’s aide, revealed that Salah was the former Prime Minister’s friend.

Speaking on Tuesday, February 17, Onyango said everyone who worked around Raila knows Salah.

He disclosed that the former Prime Minister was with Salah on his last day in Kenya before departing for India, and that they left together.

“Everyone who worked around Raila knows Oketch Salah. I met him, travelled with him, and he was Raila’s friend. Why they were friends, I don’t know.

“On the final day when Raila was leaving for India, we were with Oketch Salah at Raila’s home in Karen, he brought a phone, and they left. While in India, I spoke to Raila directly on his phone and also through Salah’s phone,” said Onyango.