Inside the VVIP offices of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), a somber moment unfolded.
Winnie Odinga, the youngest daughter of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga and Mama Ida Odinga, gently handed her father’s white fedora hat to her mother.
Clad in jungle-green pants paired with a white shirt and a matching half coat, Winnie knelt as she presented the hat, her head bowed in quiet grief and respect.
Across from her, Mama Ida, dressed in a black skirt suit, a matching hat, a white blouse, and a striped scarf, received her late husband’s treasured hat with composure that barely concealed deep sorrow.
In another frame shared by State House, the two women lock eyes, a silent exchange heavy with emotion and loss.
Earlier, Winnie had stepped off the plane from India, her expression set in solemn resolve.
In her hands, she carried Raila’s iconic hat, the white fedora that for decades crowned his public persona.
As she walked from the aircraft toward awaiting officials and family members, the hat seemed almost weighty with symbolism, a tangible emblem of life, legacy, and leadership now in transition.
Earlier in Mumbai, India, where Raila’s body lay, the same hat had drawn attention when it was photographed resting on a beige seat in the airport lounge, a haunting image that quickly went viral.
The image stirred emotions because that hat, for many, represented Raila himself: calm yet resolute, simple yet dignified.
By carrying the hat home herself and handing it to her mother, Winnie turned what was once a trademark accessory into a profound emblem of continuity.
It captured a private family grief and, at the same time, the collective mourning of a nation.
For years, the white fedora had been inseparable from Raila’s image, perched slightly to the side, worn in triumphs and trials alike.
On this day, it became more than part of his attire. It became the final bridge between memory and legacy.
Raila passed away on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, aged 80.
