East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Winnie Odinga has spoken candidly about the emotional toll of losing her father, Raila Odinga, describing the past eight months as the most difficult period of her life.
In a video shared on her Instagram page on Sunday, Ms Odinga said the months following the former Prime Minister's death in November 2025 plunged her into a deeply personal crisis as she struggled to cope with grief while under intense public scrutiny.
"For the past eight months, I have gone through the most difficult period of my life," she said.
Ms Odinga, who worked closely with her father as both a daughter and political aide, said the loss left a void that has been difficult to overcome.
"I keep telling people I'm going through a midlife crisis because my dad and I were incredibly close," she said.
She recalled being flown back to Kenya from India immediately after learning of her father's death, only to find herself expected to publicly address the nation despite her grief.
Instead of being given space to mourn, she said, she was confronted with expectations on how she should conduct herself during one of the most painful moments of her life.
"People kept saying, 'Do this, you have to do this, and you must do it properly and perfectly,'" she said.
Beyond her personal loss, Ms Odinga said she was troubled by the political wrangles that emerged within her father's camp after his death.
She said it was painful to watch individuals whom Mr Odinga had trusted begin dismantling what he had spent decades building.
When she publicly challenged some of those actions, she said, she became the target of criticism, with opponents accusing her of being disrespectful.
"People ignored what I was saying and instead focused on my tone and how I said it," she said.
The criticism eventually prompted her to withdraw from public exchanges for a time, saying she felt there was a deliberate effort to silence and intimidate her.
Despite the backlash, Ms Odinga said she does not regret speaking out, maintaining that she believed she was defending her father's legacy.
She added that the experience had exposed the challenges younger leaders face when confronting established political figures and navigating public life while dealing with personal grief.
