When founding Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga died in 1994, it would mark the change of political tunes in the country, as his enemies changed tune and heaped praise on him.
His burial ceremony at his home in Kango Ka Jaramogi, Bondo in Siaya county was attended by top state officials led by then-President Daniel Moi.
Moi had not been in good terms with the departed Bondo lawmaker and even engineered his house arrest over alleged involvement in the 1982 coup attempt on his (Moi) government.
The presence of Moi and his allies at the place irked Siaya Senator James Orengo, then Ugenya lawmaker, who took his time to bash the president and his people in their presence.
"Woe unto you hypocrites, who tortured and detained this great man, and now come here in false praise of his greatness. For many vilified him, abused him, scorned him, called him senile, called him blind, and now, for the past fortnight since Jaramogi died, have sung his praises, expressing false grief," Orengo said in his speech, according to Nation.
This was a message to Moi who had nicknamed Oginga a blind politician.
He sat quietly with anger boiling up inside him as he heard the young man who had already caused his leadership enough trouble, even as his men tried to hush Orengo.
KANU sympathizers even threatened Orengo with death but he kept going, and though Moi never addressed the matter on the spot, he spoke days later while in Kericho.
“I will not accept to be abused and I will not co-operate with them," the President said.
Orengo will forever be grateful to Oginga, the man with whose backing he won the Ugenya seat in 1980, after coming directly from the university.
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