Lupita Nyong'o pays emotional tribute to Raila Odinga: 'Rest in Peace, Uncle Raila'

Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has joined millions of Kenyans and global admirers in mourning the death of Raila Amollo Odinga, describing the former Prime Minister as both a national hero and a close family friend.

In a heartfelt message shared on social media, Lupita reflected on her personal connection to the veteran politician, revealing that Odinga had been a significant presence in her family’s life for decades.

“I join Kenyans in mourning the passing of the great Hon. Raila Odinga. I knew him from up close as one of my father’s dearest friends, and also as a hero to the nation,” Lupita wrote. “He was there for my dad and for our family in our moments of celebration and of grief. He shared our family’s milestones and we his.”

She added that her father’s tribute captured the depth of their family’s respect for Odinga, before signing off with a moving farewell:

“Rest in peace, Uncle Raila. My comfort to the whole Odinga family as they come to terms with this monumental loss.”

Her father, Kisumu Governor Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o, also released a stirring statement titled “A Tribute to the Enigma, the Son of the Soil — Rt. Hon. Raila Amollo Odinga.”

He described Odinga as “a lion who has returned to the mountain,” and “a storm that has stilled, but whose thunder will echo for generations.”

“A powerful man has just rested,” he wrote. “The sun rose heavy with sorrow, the skies paused in reverence, and the land weeps — not just Kenya, but Africa and the world at large. Because a man like Raila Amolo Odinga does not die. No, he transcends. He takes a break. A halftime. A warrior’s rest after decades on the frontline of justice, democracy, and the dreams of a nation.”

Prof. Nyong’o remembered Odinga not merely as a politician, but as “a movement — a rhythm in our national heartbeat.”

“He was imprisoned, vilified, betrayed, but never broken. Never silent. Never afraid,” he wrote. “He stood tall, not because he sought power, but because he was power — born from conviction, sacrifice, and an unshakable belief that Kenya could be more.”

The long-time friendship between the Odinga and Nyong’o families stretches back to Kenya’s political struggles of the 1980s and 1990s, when both men were prominent voices in the fight for multiparty democracy.

Lupita’s tribute adds to the growing chorus of emotional messages from leaders, artists, and citizens across the world honoring Raila Odinga’s legacy.