One year after Kenya’s legendary politician Raila Odinga died, new details have emerged showing how a plot to take away his life had horribly unfolded.
The Enigma’s former bodyguard Maurice
Ogeta revealed that Prof Makau Mutua was recording everything in Raila’s car during the 2023 Sufuria protests, livestreaming what Raila was planning and where he was heading.
He revealed that, although Raila survived an assassination attempt, security officers attached to him at the moment had accepted he’s dead.
Maurice Ogeta, who says he served Raila Odinga for 29 years, has recounted some of the most frightening moments of his work as the former prime minister’s personal aide and bodyguard.
His latest interviews cover an incident involving gunfire during the 2023 anti-government demonstrations, Professor Makau Mutua’s presence in Raila’s vehicle, Ogeta’s subsequent abduction, and Raila’s final moments in India in October 2025.
The day Raila’s vehicle came under gunfire
Raila Odinga was nearly shot on Thursday, 30 March 2023, during anti-government demonstrations in Pipeline, Embakasi, Nairobi.
According to his Mr Ogeta, police officers approached Raila’s vehicle and fired live ammunition at it. Ogeta said Raila was pushed down inside the car while his security team used their bodies to shield him.
Raila’s spokesperson, Professor Makau Mutua, was also in the vehicle and reported that it had been hit by a bullet.
Raila later alleged that the incident was an assassination attempt.
Ogeta recalled hearing the officer in charge of the lead vehicle, whom he identified as Mr Chwanya in one account, announce over the radio that Raila had been killed.
The words, in Kiswahili, were:
“Wameua Mzee.”
Meaning: “They have killed Mzee.”
Ogeta said he reassured the officer that Raila was still alive and urged him to remain calm while they tried to turn the vehicle around.
He described a moment when he had mentally accepted that he and the driver might die before the attackers reached Raila. He attributed their survival to God and the efforts of the security team.
Makau Mutua’s role: Why Ogeta says he has not forgiven him
Professor Makau Mutua is a Kenyan legal scholar and public figure who was associated with Raila’s political circle.
Ogeta says Mutua was a passenger in Raila’s vehicle during the dangerous 2023 demonstrations and was recording or livestreaming what was happening, including the security team’s movements and coordination.
Ogeta questioned why anyone would broadcast their security operations in real time during a confrontation in which Raila’s life was potentially in danger.
His central concern was that a live broadcast could be watched by both allies and hostile individuals. It could reveal how the team was moving, responding to threats and protecting Raila.
Ogeta said he subsequently received telephone calls from people in the United States and South Africa warning him that something concerning was being shown. When he checked the footage, he said he saw Professor Mutua recording inside the vehicle.
Ogeta was particularly hurt by what he considered a serious security lapse. In the interview reported by the Daily Nation, he said:
“To date I am not sure whether I have forgiven him on that.”
He also questioned whether Mutua had been recording out of excitement or whether there had been some other intention. Importantly, Ogeta did not establish that Mutua deliberately intended to endanger Raila.
His account expresses suspicion and disappointment over the decision to record and broadcast sensitive events, rather than providing proof of a plot.
Ogeta’s Abduction
Reports from July 2023 said that Ogeta went missing during the demonstrations and was later released after approximately 72 hours in captivity.
According to his account at the time, he had received an emergency call from Raila and was travelling to respond when he was intercepted by people in vehicles. He said he was restrained, blindfolded and taken away.
In his more recent interview, Ogeta said the people who abducted him appeared to know details about him and his movements. He also suggested that some people within his own circle had exposed him.
He said he had not been sure whether the abduction was a case of mistaken identity or something more deliberate. He recalled being questioned about matters that he felt had little to do with him.
How Raila reacted after Ogeta was abducted
Ogeta recalled the personal relationship he shared with Raila. He described his former boss as someone who could use humour to comfort people even when they had suffered greatly.
After Ogeta’s ordeal, Raila reportedly asked him in Kiswahili:
“Maurice, ata hawa watu wamekupatia baptism?”
In English: “Maurice, have these people also baptised you?”
Ogeta understood the remark as Raila’s way of making him feel that his ordeal was not the end of the world, even though the experience had affected him deeply.
What Ogeta revealed about Raila’s private character
Ogeta reflected on the 29 years he spent working alongside Raila, beginning in 1997.
He said that many Kenyans knew Raila primarily as a formidable political figure, but that the private man was different in important ways.
According to Ogeta:
Raila was compassionate. When someone died, he could be deeply affected and would make an effort to console the bereaved.
He could be accommodating. Ogeta said Raila sometimes struggled to say no, which he felt allowed some people to take advantage of his generosity.
He was emotionally invested in people. Ogeta recalled that failing to inform Raila promptly about a death could draw a strong reaction because Raila wanted to reach out to those affected.
He did not prepare Ogeta for his death. Ogeta said they had never really discussed his own death in a way that prepared the bodyguard for losing him.
Ogeta also said he was still adjusting to Raila’s absence. He sometimes found himself reaching for his phone, expecting a call from his former boss, or heading towards the workplace before remembering that Raila was no longer there.
Ogeta’s account of Raila’s final moments in India
Raila died in India on October 15, 2025.
Ogeta recalled that the morning began with their usual routine and that nothing initially suggested the day would end in tragedy.
They had planned a walk around the villa where Raila was staying. Ogeta said they first completed one circuit, after which Raila decided to walk again.
During the second circuit, Raila stopped.
Ogeta, who said he was approximately a metre away, asked whether his back or leg was hurting. He recalled Raila making a sound of discomfort and appearing dazed.
Ogeta offered to take him to a chair so he could check on him. But before they could get there, Raila’s body began to fall towards him.
Ogeta tried to support him, lowered him to the ground and called for help. He recalled placing him in a recovery position while medical personnel were summoned. Despite the response, Raila died shortly after being taken for medical treatment.
The account was particularly emotional because Ogeta had spent decades protecting Raila from external threats, yet his final medical emergency unfolded during an ordinary morning walk.
