Raila Odinga's fifth star that never stopped shining

Born in 1945, Raila Amolo Odinga’s life and legacy have long been woven with the threads of resilience, reform, and an almost divine sense of symbolism. Across his journey, one number seems to stand out repeatedly, five. From his birth year to his leadership of the famous Pentagon team, his five presidential bids, and even the details surrounding his passing, the number five seems to whisper through the story of Raila’s life, as if marking the rhythm of a destiny fulfilled.

Raila was born in January 1945, a year that signaled the end of the Second World War and the birth of a new global order. In Kenya, the winds of change were already beginning to stir. His father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, would become one of the country’s independence heroes and its first Vice President, instilling in young Raila a deep belief in justice and nationhood. From the start, Raila’s life seemed aligned with moments of transition, born in a year of renewal, destined to spend his life fighting for the rebirth of a nation.

Through the years, Raila became synonymous with Kenya’s long walk to multi-party democracy. He endured detention without trial, political persecution, and betrayal, yet remained unbroken. When he founded the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), he introduced the concept of the Pentagon, a team of five regional leaders meant to unite a divided nation ahead of the 2007 elections. That five-man alliance, Raila, William Ruto, Musalia Mudavadi, Najib Balala, and Joseph Nyagah, became a political force that inspired millions. The symbol of five once again defined his vision, unity through diversity, strength through shared leadership.

But perhaps the most striking manifestation of the number five lies in Raila’s unyielding pursuit of the presidency. He vied for the top seat five times,In 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017, and 2022. Each attempt carried its own hope, heartbreak, and historic weight. To his supporters, those five contests were not signs of failure but of faith, proof of a man unwilling to abandon the dream of a better Kenya. Through every election, Raila remained the face of the opposition, the enduring symbol of resistance and reform. Even without ever holding the title of President, he held the nation’s attention, heart, and conscience in ways that few leaders ever do.

Beyond politics, Raila’s personal life mirrored the same sense of steadfastness. Married to Ida Odinga for over five decades, their union stood as a pillar of endurance. Together, they raised a family and weathered the storms of public life. In Ida, Raila found not only a partner but also a fellow soldier in service, her quiet strength balancing his fiery passion. Their marriage, lasting more than fifty years, symbolized the same perseverance that defined his political life.

When the news of Raila’s death broke on October 15, 2025, Kenya and Africa mourned a statesman whose shadow loomed large over generations. Even in death, the number five appeared again , the fifteenth day of the month, the burial 'set' for 5 p.m., and his age at 80, a multiple of forty-five, the year of his birth. To many, this seemed more than coincidence. It was as though life itself was closing his story in the language it had always spoken — in fives.

During her tribute, his daughter Winnie Odinga revealed that just before his passing, Raila took five rounds of a walk, a quiet, almost prophetic act that echoed the rhythm of his life. Those steps, simple yet symbolic, now feel like his final march of freedom — a last journey of grace and completion. It was as though he was walking through the chapters of his life one last time, closing the fifth and final page with peace.

Across cultures, the number five holds deep meaning, it represents grace, balance, and completeness. In numerology, it symbolizes freedom and change, fitting for a man who spent his life pushing for both. For Kenya, Raila’s “five” may stand for the five chapters of his struggle, the fight for multi-party democracy, the call for constitutional reform, the push for devolution, the unity after the 2007 crisis, and the handshake politics that sought to heal old wounds. His was a five-fold mission and by the end, it was complete.

Raila Odinga’s life cannot be measured merely by electoral victories or political titles. His real triumph lay in his persistence, in his refusal to be silenced, and in his ability to inspire new generations to believe that democracy is worth fighting for. The number five, recurring so often in his life story, feels like a divine signature, a quiet reminder that destiny has its own order.

 As the sun set at 5 p.m. on the day he was laid to rest, one could almost sense the completion of a circle, the fifth and final turn of a life lived for the people. In that moment, Raila Odinga ceased to be just a politician, he became a symbol of perseverance, unity, and enduring hope. Kenya may never have called him President, but history will remember him as something greater, the fifth star that never stopped shining.

The writer is a Communications Specialist.