NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 24 – Mama Ida Odinga has handed her son, Raila Odinga Junior, to Kibra leaders and residents, urging them to guide him as he seeks to establish himself in elective politics and carry forward the political legacy of his late father, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.Speaking during celebrations to mark her 76th birthday, Ida appeared to endorse her son’s bid for the Kibra parliamentary seat while asking local leaders to mentor him and ensure he follows the right path.“Now you, Kibra residents, have come to me with other things. You are telling me that ‘Mtoto wa simba ni simba.’ If you have decided, then I don’t have much to say, but I put him in your hands,” she said.Ida specifically appealed to Kibra leaders to take responsibility for guiding the younger Odinga as he seeks to enter elective politics.“To all of you here, I leave my child in your hands,” she said.“All of you who have come here at the front, I have given you my son. Take care of him, teach him and remind him. Many of you started with the former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in 1992. Show him the way so that he walks in the right way and does the right thing.”The remarks come barely weeks after Raila Junior publicly declared his intention to contest the Kibra parliamentary seat in the 2027 General Election.Elective politicsRaila Junior has in recent months intensified his grassroots activities in Kibra, a constituency that was a longstanding political stronghold of his late father.On August 3, he told a gathering of Kibra elders that he had already started planning for the constituency ahead of the 2027 elections, signalling that his interest in the seat had moved beyond speculation.“Mimi nafikiria vile kupanga Kibra post 2027 na nyinyi mnafikirai vile kupiga kura. So nishaenda mbele yenu. Shida yangu ni vile napanga Kibra sasa. Shida yenu sasa itakua vile nitaingia, hiyo si shida yangu. Mimi nishaenda mbele. Nimeanza kupanga,” he told the gathering.Raila Junior has since held meetings with elders and community groups drawn from all five wards of Kibra Laini Saba, Lindi, Makina, Woodley/Kenyatta Golf Course and Sarang’ombe where he has spoken about unity, development and the future of the constituency. His growing presence has sparked political interest in the constituency, with reports indicating that he has been building grassroots networks and consulting local leaders ahead of the 2027 polls.The proposed bid would see him seek to succeed the political influence his father enjoyed in the area. Raila Odinga represented the former Lang’ata constituency, from which Kibra was later carved out, and maintained a strong political base in the area for decades.Raila Junior’s entry has consequently raised questions about the future of the Odinga family’s political influence following the death of Raila Odinga in October 2025.While endorsing her son’s political ambitions, Ida cautioned him against adopting the confrontational style often associated with Kenyan political campaigns.She urged him to build his support through ideas, issue-based politics and his ability to deliver for voters rather than through insults, chaos or violence.“Run clean politics, not of insults, chaos or violence. It should be clean. Convince people with your words and what you can do for them,” she said.Her message effectively placed the responsibility on Raila Junior to demonstrate that his political journey will be based on his own ideas and record while drawing lessons from his father’s decades-long career.The appeal is significant as the younger Odinga begins what could be his first electoral contest, with Kibra expected to attract intense political competition ahead of the 2027 General Election.Raila Junior has sought to frame his campaign around practical issues affecting residents. Earlier this year, he became involved in discussions over Kibra’s persistent water challenges, calling for a political solution to the problem and engaging Nairobi City Water officials and local leaders.He has also raised concerns over community development and infrastructure, including the condition of Toi Market.Ida’s endorsement adds weight to Raila Junior’s emerging political career at a time when the Odinga family is navigating its first major political transition following the death of the former Prime Minister.His sister, EALA MP Winnie Odinga, has also indicated plans to seek elective office in the 2027 elections, pointing to the emergence of a new generation of Odingas in active politics.For Raila Junior, however, the immediate test is Kibra, where he will have to convert the goodwill associated with the Odinga name into electoral support.