Siaya Senator and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Oburu Oginga dedicated a heartfelt message to his late younger brother Raila Odinga on his 83rd birthday that fell on Thursday, October 15, 2026.

The senator shared a birthday message with family members present at Nairobi Hospital where he is recovering. Oginga posted pictures of a birthday cake and party with him which he said were taken on the day of his birthday, which was also the first anniversary of Raila’s death.

“My birthday today was both sweet and painful because it was the day my beloved younger brother, Baba Raila Amolo Odinga left us to be with his Lord,” the senator wrote in his message.

Oginga further described the coincidence of the day of his birth and the day of his brother’s demise as a sign to signify the bond between the two brothers, which he said nothing can separate.

“I feel so happy and astonished that you were born on this day and also left us on this very day. This is the best compliment that one could get from the creator showing love and affection for someone through a form of an unbreakable bond, physically visible or not,” Oburu wrote.

The senator also acknowledged the family members, hospital staff, and well-wishers for their ‘thoughtfulness in joining him’ for the birthday, which he described as a ‘precious day.’

The birthday pictures were captured as Oginga was unable to attend the remembrance (first death anniversary) of Raila that was held at Migwena Cultural Grounds in Bondo, Siaya County, where family members, politicians, and ordinary citizens paid homage to the former Prime Minister.

In his message at the scene of the memorial, Oburu noted that he had been advised by the doctor to take a long rest and avoid any public activities as he continued to recover from the illness that had seen him admitted to the hospital barely a year earlier.

Oburu’s birthday and Raila’s death anniversary became a day of mourning and celebration for the Odinga family as Oburu described the day as both ‘sweet and painful.’