Raila Odinga’s Bodyguard Maurice Ogeta Recalls Daring 2023 Assassination Scare

The late Raila Odinga’s longtime bodyguard, Maurice Ogeta, has recalled a frightening encounter during the July 2023 anti-government protests, claiming an officer repeatedly struck the windscreen of the former Prime Minister’s car before gunshots were fired.

Speaking during an interview with Citizen TV on Friday, October 9, 2026, Ogeta said the incident left him convinced that Raila and his security team could be killed.

“It got to a point whereby I registered in my mind and I could see my boss dead. In fact, it was like we are dead,” Ogeta recalled.

He said the officer continued hitting the windscreen until it cracked, before several shots were fired at the vehicle.

“That windscreen was hit so many times to a point whereby it gave in, it cracked. Luckily enough, it was a, what I would call a treated car, but it cracked. And after cracking, so many shots were fired in that car,” he said.

Ogeta also remembered the reaction of the security team’s commander, who was travelling in the lead vehicle.

“I even remember our commander of the day, who was in our lead car, which is basically the front car, saying, ‘These people have killed Mzee,’” he added.

Raila’s Convoy Targeted During Saba Saba Protests

The incident occurred during the July 7, 2023, Saba Saba demonstrations, when Raila led opposition supporters in protests against the government over the cost of living and other grievances.

Media reports documented damage to vehicles in Raila’s convoy during confrontations with anti-riot police in Nairobi.

Also Read: Fatuma Ibrahim Quotes Late Raila Odinga in First Remarks as PSC Commissioner

Raila subsequently alleged that his vehicle had been hit by a live bullet and that police had attempted to kill him.

Confrontation came amid widespread demonstrations that left several people dead and others injured in different parts of the country, with the protests forming part of the political tensions that later led to talks between the Kenya Kwanza government and the Azimio coalition under the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO).

The committee’s recommendations covered electoral reforms, governance and the cost of living, among other issues. Parliament adopted the report on February 24, 2024.

Ogeta Recalls Raila’s Final Moments

Ogeta recounted the moments leading up to Raila’s death, describing how the former Prime Minister stopped while walking and appeared unresponsive to what was happening around him.

Ogeta said he was about a metre away when Raila stopped after walking a short distance. He said Raila made a sound that prompted him to ask whether he was experiencing back or leg pain.

“He just stood there. And then, you know, like someone who is, I don’t know what to call it, dazed or whatever, because he was just looking at something that probably you’re looking at and you’re not seeing,” Ogeta said.

Also Read: Today in History: Raila Odinga Sworn In as ‘People’s President’

When Raila made the sound again, Ogeta said he moved to check on him, wanting to establish whether he was experiencing pain in his back.

Raila Odinga died on October 15, 2025, aged 80, after suffering cardiac arrest during a morning walk at an Ayurvedic medical centre in Kerala, India.

Follow our WhatsApp channel for more updates

The late Raila Odinga with his Bodyguard Maurice Ogeta. Photo/ Nation