Legion Maria mourns Raila as arbitrator who resolved their leadership stalemate
The Legion Maria Church has mourned the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, describing him as a king of arbitrator and a towering figure who believes in initiatives aimed at bringing unity and peaceful co-existence among Kenyans.
According to Legion Maria Church Secretary General Cardinal Timothy Lukas Abwao, Raila’s death was a blow to the Church on Saturday, October 25, 2025.
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“Raila was a partner who stood for us, and on several occasions, he often prayed with us, and his respect for God and spiritual convictions were evident to all who knew him,” Abwao said.
Abwao added that Raila found strength in prayer and sought divine guidance in the pursuit of national unity and peace.
In this moment of grief, the holy father and the entire leadership of Legion Maria join the Odinga family and Kenyans in mourning this monumental loss.
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Abwao noted that Raila Odinga has on several occasions played a role in sorting leadership wrangles that have amicably bedevilled the church.
“In times of crisis in our church, Raila helped resolve leadership wrangles that threatened to split the church,” Abwao said.
Pope Raphael Adika
The two factions of the Legion Maria sect – one led by Pope Raphael Adika and the other led by Pope Lawrence Ochieng – have been wrangling over church leadership.
Odinga had pointed out that, as he moved around the country fostering unity through his Azimio la Umoja unity calls, he would ensure the unity of the church.
“Umoja ni nguvu na utengano ni udhaifu (united we stand, divided we fall). I’m ready to mediate between the Legio Maria factions,” Raila said in 2021, when he met Legio Maria faithfuls.
Abwao spoke at Kango Kajaramogi, where Raila was laid to rest.
Raila advocated for peaceful co-existence among the two factions, and his consistent push for unity saw Kenyans misconstruing that he was a member of our church.
Recently, when President Ruto attended a church service presided over by St Peter’s ACK Bishop John Mark Haung Godia at Siaya KMTC grounds, he amused worshippers in Siaya after joking that he had always thought former Prime Minister Raila Odinga was a member of the Legio Maria sect.
Ruto had asked the presiding bishop which denomination Raila belonged to.
When told that the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader was Anglican, he joked that he had always thought Raila was a member of Legio Maria, leaving the congregation in stitches.
It’s reported that in the early 1990s, when Kenya’s political landscape was marked by turmoil and a growing push for multiparty democracy, Raila was at the forefront of the struggle, opposing the KANU regime.
His tireless commitment to political reform made him a target, forcing him to embark on a perilous journey to escape the government’s clutches.
Raila reveals that retired Catholic cleric Emeritus Bishop Zacchaeus Okoth played a crucial role in ensuring his safe passage from Kenya to Uganda in 1991.
The escape plan was intricate and fraught with danger, with Raila smuggled out of Nairobi and transported to Kisumu.
From there, he continued his journey through Rang’ala in Ugenya, gradually approaching the Ugandan border.
Throughout his transit to Uganda, Raila adopted various disguises to evade detection. At times, he posed as a Catholic priest, blending into the region’s religious landscape. On other occasions, he masqueraded as a Legio Maria adherent. Unsuspectingly, lake fishermen played a role in his escape, ferrying him across Lake Victoria.
