Kalonzo: I am going to Bondo to honour the father of Maandamano
By Nancy Marende, November 6, 2025Wiper Patriotic Front (WPF) party leader Kalonzo Musyoka has declared that his visit to Bondo was to honour the late Raila Amollo Odinga, whom he described as “the father of maandamano.
Speaking at a press conference in Kisumu on Thursday, November 6, 2025, before proceeding to Bondo, Kalonzo said he had chosen his attire purposefully to symbolise respect and remembrance for the late opposition icon, with whom he had fought side by side in the quest for good governance and justice.
“I am dressed like this because I have come to mourn my late brother Raila Amollo Odinga, with whom we went to the trenches to give this country a good, reputable, respectable democratic nation,” he said.
“The type of nation young people have been looking forward to. I am dressed this way literally to remember that I am going to honour the father of maandamano. We resisted, and Kenyans are still resisting bad governance.
Raila’s gravesite visits
This comes shortly after the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) Secretary for Planning and Economic Affairs, Peter Mbae, said that the increasing visits to the late Raila Odinga’s Bondo home are not merely acts of condolence but strategic political moves by various leaders seeking to position themselves for future influence.
Speaking at a local TV station on Thursday, November 6, 2025, Mbae observed that Raila’s enduring political legacy continues to shape Kenya’s political landscape even in his absence.
“In life and in death. It’s been three weeks; every day, people feel he went so fast, and just by visiting the grave, something has happened. Whatever visits you are seeing now are because you cannot divorce Baba from politics, being who he was.”
According to Mbae, while some visitors may have genuine ties of friendship or family, others are clearly motivated by strategic political interests.
He cited recent visits by figures such as Martha Karua and the anticipated visit by Kalonzo Musyoka on November 6, 2025, suggesting that these appearances carry deeper political undertones.
“Look at Martha Karua; it was not just going to pay respects. She was going to say, ‘Hey, I came for the burial; I didn’t have a chance to eulogize Baba.’ As Raila’s 2022 running mate, it was a political statement,” he said.
Mbae also noted that Kalonzo Musyoka’s speech during Raila’s burial was met with enthusiasm, reflecting nostalgia and recognition among Odinga’s supporters.
“Kalonzo was cheered when he spoke in Bondo because people are going back and saying this man stood with Raila in 2013 and 2017. He was humiliated in 2022, but he’s now making a statement that he’s the one to inherit the consciousness of ODM and the Azimio fraternity,” he explained.