When the giant is gone: How Saba Saba will look without Raila Odinga

For more than three decades, Saba Saba and Raila Odinga became almost impossible to separate. Mention July 7 to many Kenyans, and memories of packed rallies, spirited chants, heavy police presence and Raila standing on a makeshift podium quickly come to mind. Whether one admired him or disagreed with him, there was little debate about one thing. He was the face of modern Saba Saba.

This year, however, history takes a different path. It is the first Saba Saba since Raila’s death in October 2025, bringing an emotional and symbolic shift to a day that has defined Kenya’s democratic journey for 36 years.

Raila was among the leading figures who challenged the one-party state in 1990, endured detention during the struggle for multiparty democracy and remained closely associated with annual Saba Saba commemorations throughout his political career.

The question hanging over this year’s commemoration is no longer whether Raila will attend or what message he will deliver. Instead, Kenyans are asking something much bigger. What becomes of Saba Saba when the man who gave it much of its political identity is no longer there?

Will Saba Saba still have a familiar face?

For years, Saba Saba followed a script that almost everyone knew by heart. Supporters would gather early, politicians would arrive in stages, speeches would build excitement, and Raila would eventually step forward to deliver the headline address. Even those who claimed they had no interest in politics often found themselves checking the news to see what Baba had said.

That familiar rhythm has now been interrupted.

Without Raila, there is no obvious figure who commands the same level of national attention or emotional connection across the opposition. Kenya still has experienced political leaders, but none carry the same history of detention, repeated presidential campaigns and decades of street mobilisation that made Raila a household name. His absence leaves a vacuum that cannot simply be filled by handing another politician a microphone.

The movement is no longer about one man

Ironically, Raila’s absence may reveal just how much Saba Saba has evolved.

The original demonstrations of 1990 were about ending one-party rule and expanding democratic freedoms. Over the years, the annual event gradually became identified with opposition politics and, in many ways, with Raila himself. Yet recent protests have shown a different reality.

Young Kenyans have increasingly organised through social media, community networks and digital platforms rather than traditional political parties. Many of them have never known life under the old one-party system, yet they continue to raise concerns about governance, unemployment, corruption and police accountability. Their methods, their language, and even their humour are different. Sometimes a viral meme travels faster than a political speech, proving that in today’s Kenya, a smartphone can be just as powerful as a campaign truck.

This means Saba Saba may no longer depend on one towering political personality. Instead, it could become a broader citizens’ movement driven by shared concerns rather than individual leadership.

A day filled with memory and reflection

This year’s commemoration is also likely to carry a more reflective mood.

Many older Kenyans remember Raila not only as a politician but as someone who paid a personal price during the struggle for democratic reforms. He spent years in detention and remained one of the country’s most recognisable opposition figures before eventually serving as Prime Minister between 2008 and 2013. His contribution to Kenya’s democratic journey is acknowledged even by many who did not always agree with his political choices.

For some, July 7 will feel like attending a family gathering after the eldest relative has passed on. The chairs are still arranged, the conversations continue, and the traditions remain, yet everyone notices that one familiar voice is missing.

A new generation now writes the story

Perhaps the biggest difference this year is that the spotlight is shifting from personalities to principles.

Younger activists have shown that they are willing to organise without waiting for political endorsements. Their conversations revolve around transparency, accountability, economic opportunities and constitutional rights rather than loyalty to a single leader. This changing culture suggests that Saba Saba is entering a new chapter where ideas may matter more than individuals.

That does not diminish Raila’s legacy. On the contrary, it may be the strongest evidence that the democratic space he helped expand is now producing new voices capable of carrying the conversation forward.

The giant is gone, but the journey continues

History rarely pauses when great leaders leave the stage. Instead, it quietly asks those who remain whether they are ready to continue the work.

This year’s Saba Saba will certainly feel different. There will be no familiar figure waving to supporters, no trademark speeches and no certainty about who now carries the mantle of opposition politics. Yet perhaps that is the true test of any movement. If it depends entirely on one individual, then it risks fading with them. If it is built on ideas, sacrifice and a shared desire for a better nation, then it finds new life with every generation.

Raila Odinga helped shape what Saba Saba became for millions of Kenyans. His absence will be impossible to ignore. Even so, July 7 has always stood for something greater than one politician. As the country marks another anniversary, the giant may be gone, but the road he walked continues to stretch ahead, waiting for others to decide how the next chapter will be written

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