Born Obadiah Adonija in 1911, veteran departed politician Jaramogi Oginga Odinga is still remembered and honoured as one of the political leaders who handed the nation her independence from the British colonialists due to his anti-colonialism campaigns in the 50s.
He would finally achieve his bid to see the nation govern itself with the aid of other leaders led by founding father Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in 1963 and was in December 1964 sworn in as independent Kenya’s Vice President and Internal Affairs Minister, with Kenyatta as the President.
On January 20, 1994, the controversial politician who severally opposed his boss, leading to his resignation from the deputy head of state position in 1966 succumbed to a heart attack in Nairobi, he was aged 82.
Jaramogi’s life was full of controversies ranging from his indiscipline and ‘hardheadedness’ and was among the most troublesome students at the Maseno School where he received his secondary school between 1929 and 1934.
Despite being a prefect, he severally landed in trouble with the School head Carey Francis, at one point being caned for stealing paraffin.
This continued when he took over as an arithmetic teacher in the same school, before joining Luo community politics and later national politics in 1957.
As Vice President, he was implicated in a plan to overthrow Kenyatta, seeing him banned from political involvement and placed under house arrest before he was again accused of playing a role in the 1982 botched coup against retired President Daniel Moi alongside his son and current opposition chief Raila Odinga.
Before his death, he was the incumbent lawmaker for his Bondo homeground which was later inherited by his son Oburu Odinga.
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