I even know his college sweethearts; Ruth Odinga speaks of childhood friendship with Uhuru Kenyatta

Opposition leader Raila Odinga’s younger sister,  Ruth Odinga, recalls with nostalgia the family’s relationship with the Kenyattas.

It stretches back to their childhood days.

“When they came to Kisumu with their father (Uhuru’s father, Mzee Jomo Kenyatta) we used to play together. Uhuru is a good friend of mine, a very personal friend. It’s only our political paths that were different,” she says.

“I was born into a political family and politics is what we have grown up in. I met Uhuru through politics. If my father was not in politics, I would not have known Uhuru,” she says.

All was well until the relationship between the older Kenyatta and Jaramogi took a nosedive. The children were not spared.

According to Ruth, the entire family paid a heavy price when Kenyatta placed Jaramogi under house arrest.

“When my father was under house arrest and I was then a pupil at Victoria Primary School in Kisumu, I used to be taken to Central Police Station for inspection. I was forced to undress before being inspected, then I would be asked to dress again after which I would get clearance to go to school,” recounts Ruth.

“ At lunch time, I would be taken to Central Police Station again for screening and clearance,” she says.

As the relationship between the two families went from bad to worse, the Odingas’ fortunes dipped.

“When my father was in detention, I was hawking mangoes to get money for ice cream,” she recounts.

Later, when she joined Asumbi Girls in Homa Bay for her O and A levels, she momentarily lost touch with the Kenyattas.

But later, Ruth and Uhuru’s paths crossed again.

“I was in Kenya High while the President was at St Mary’s. I even knew his college sweethearts,” she says.

Later, Uhuru left for the US for his undergraduate studies.

According to Ruth, different members of her family have different memories of the Kenyattas.