Self-proclaimed adopted son of the late former prime minister Raila Odinga, businessman Oketch Salah, has broken his silence following sharp remarks by East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) MP Winnie Odinga during a recent television interview.
In a statement shared on his social media platforms on Wednesday, January 28, 2025, Salah said he chose not to respond immediately out of respect for Ida Odinga, Raila Odinga’s widow and Kenya’s recently nominated ambassador to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
“I watched last night’s interview on Citizen TV with Yvonne Okwara, where Winnie spoke about me. Because of the respect I have for Her Excellency the Ambassador, Mama Ida Min Piny from Migori, I chose to remain quiet. That was a deliberate and personal decision,” Salah said.
However, he noted that some of the statements made during the interview required clarification and maintained that he stood by his earlier claims.
“Some of what was said needs clarity. I stand by everything I have said about my last moments with Baba. Those moments were real, painful and lived. I will respond in an interview soon,” he added.
Winnie Odinga, during the Citizen TV interview, acknowledged having met Salah but dismissed his prominence, insisting that his claims about being present during her father’s final moments were false.
“I have met Oketch Salah, but I’d like to believe nobody really knows him. A flat-out lie that you were there at the time of my father’s death — you were not — and talking about things that did not occur is quite dangerous and makes me question his intentions,” Winnie said.
She went further to call for scrutiny of Salah’s conduct, suggesting that he should be taken to either Mathare Mental Hospital or the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) headquarters along Kiambu Road.