Raila Odinga - 5 intriguing facts you never knew

Raila Odinga is an outstanding personality in Kenyan politics, the party leader for Cord, and former Kenyan Prime Minister. If you are reading this then probably you are interested in the latest Raila Odinga news and some intriguing facts from his biography. If so, you have come to the right place because we have something to tell you. Read these 5 amazing facts about Raila Odinga you probably didn't know.

1. Both Raila Odinga and his father Oginga Odinga were Members of the Parliament at the same time

Raila Odinga's father was the first vice president in Kenya's history. The father and son served together as Members of the Parliament (MP) in the National Assembly during the period between 1992 and 1994. The only difference is that the son was the representative for Langata and the father served as the MP from Borno.

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2. Raila Odinga studied in East Germany

Many people know that the former Kenyan Prime Minister received his education in Germany, but not all know that Raila Odinga studied in Soviet-occupied East Germany. He studied at the Technical School in Magdeburg. It is known that Raila, thanks to his Kenyan citizenship, was able to bring his friends some extra goods from West Germany.

3. The former Kenyan Prime Minister learned about the death of his mother only after two months had passed

It is a well-known fact from the biography of Raila Odinga that he was imprisoned back in 1982.  He was accused of being involved with a coup attempt in the same year. The mother of the former Prime Minister, Mary Juma Odinga, passed away two years later in 1984.

The imprisoned Raila Odinga was not informed about this fact and learned the sad news only two months later. He was released from prison on the 6th of February, 1988.

4. Raila Odinga was in exile in Norway for one year

He was arrested in Nairobi after a peaceful protest march turned violent in the Moi era. Raila Odinga was released from his third stretch behind bars on the 21st of June, 1991. After that, he started to claim that he was receiving threats that he would be assassinated.

He left for Norway and stayed there in exile until February 1992. The same year he returned to his native country in order to help to push for multiparty democracy during the 1992 elections. That year he was elected to the Parliament. 

5. He has an honorary degree from Florida A&M University

Raila Odinga studied at the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (Florida A&M) where he received an honorary degree in April of 2012. Actually, this is not the only degree received by Odinga in his life. He also has an honorary degree from the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology in Malaysia.

Hope you have enjoyed the information outlined here and perhaps learned something new about the former Prime Minister of Kenya.