James Odu Cobra: Gone but not forgotten

James Oduor Cobra [Courtesy]

Football fans are mourning one of their own — James Oduor Radido alias Odu Cobra.

Cobra who was an ardent supporter of Gor Mahia died in the January 15 terror attack at the luxurious dusitD2 hotel building.

On the fateful day, Odu who worked at the LG Electronics shop located at 14 Riverside complex reported to work as usual.

At 3 pm, he left his workplace to prepare for his birthday celebration, which was slated for the following day - the 6th of January on Wednesday.

Odu LG Electronics shop located at 14 Riverside complex [Courtesy]

His close friend Dennis Mogendi and teammate at the fans-constituted Hippos FC, say Odu met his death on his way out of the building.

As he was stepping out, he heard an explosion, then rushed to help a female colleague identified as Ciku, who had sustained injuries from a recent road accident.

“They heard the loud bang, then Odu left to find out what could be happening. On his way out, he noticed the armed terrorists, then dashed back to the office. But the office doors had been locked. It’s like he tried to find an open office to hide from the attackers but was unsuccessful. The attackers eventually got hold of him,” Mosh Junior told The Nairobian.

The father of two sent tweets moments after the attack, trying to figure out what was happening. Odu appealed for help from the public through his Twitter account.

“What’s happening at 14 Riverside fam? Any news from out there? We’re trapped in our buildings,” he tweeted. He went on: “Gunshots and non-stop explosions.” That was his last communication.

His close friend Jeff Kinyanjui and teammate at Hippos FC told The Nairobian that Odu stopped responding to messages a few minutes after tweeting about the incident.

“We started texting him after we noticed his tweets, but he didn’t respond,” Jeff said.

Until his untimely death, which came on the eve of his 35th birthday, Odu, who was born and raised in Nairobi’s Kariokor estate, lived in Kabete. He was a husband and father of two kids.

His love for local football and rugby was unmatched. As an ardent Gor Mahia fan, he rallied fellow fans to attend matches and often fought for the rights of players.

Odu is the brainchild of Wadau TV, an online channel which discusses topical issues around local players and fans.

He was the captain of Kenyan football fans side Hippos FC and played for, among other outfits, Kenya Pipeline and Kisumu Diaspora teams.