Emotional moment as Uhuru returns to Raila's grave day after burial [VIDEO]

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta made an emotional return to the grave site of the late opposition leader Raila Odinga on Sunday, just one day after the iconic politician's state funeral drew thousands of mourners.

The visit, according to videos shared, was a moment of reflection at the Odinga family estate in Bondo, Siaya County, where Raila was laid to rest on Sunday amid national outpourings of grief. 

Uhuru was accompanied by Odinga’s elder brother Oburu, where they were seen bowing their heads for prayer. 

After the prayer, Uhuru spent some more time on the grave, at one point raising his hand over the grave while still reflecting. 

Over the mourning period, Uhuru Kenyatta was captured in moments of vulnerability, even crying as he was consoling Odinga's wife, Ida, at their home in Karen. 

History of Uhuru's relationship with Raila

The relationship between Uhuru Kenyatta and Raila Odinga was one of the most complex and transformative in modern Kenyan politics, spanning more than three decades of rivalry, reconciliation, and reluctant partnership. 

Their political paths first crossed in the 1990s when Uhuru, the son of Kenya's founding president Jomo Kenyatta, entered politics under the Kenya African National Union (KANU), the party his father had led. 

Raila, then a fiery young opposition figure, had been detained without trial for years under both Jomo and Daniel arap Moi's regimes for advocating multiparty democracy.

By 2002, Uhuru, handpicked by outgoing President Moi as his successor, faced off against Mwai Kibaki in a pivotal election that ended KANU's 39-year grip on power. 

Raila, who had broken away from KANU to form the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), played a kingmaker role in Kibaki's victory, only to be sidelined in the subsequent government, leading to the explosive fallout that triggered the 2007–2008 post-election violence.

The 2007 election pitted Uhuru, then a key ally of President Kibaki, against Raila, who ran under the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). 

The disputed results sparked ethnic clashes that left over 1,100 dead and displaced hundreds of thousands. 

Uhuru was later indicted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for allegedly orchestrating violence, charges that were eventually dropped in 2014 due to insufficient evidence and witness intimidation. 

Raila, who claimed the presidency was stolen from him, accepted a power-sharing deal brokered by Kofi Annan, becoming Prime Minister in a tense grand coalition.

Their rivalry peaked again in 2013 and 2017 when Uhuru and Raila faced off directly in presidential contests. Uhuru narrowly won both, amid allegations of electoral irregularities from Raila's camp. 

The 2017 election was particularly contentious; Kenya's Supreme Court annulled Uhuru's initial victory, the first such ruling in Africa, only for Uhuru to win the rerun after Raila boycotted it.

Yet, in a stunning turn on March 9, 2018, the two leaders shocked the nation with the "Handshake" at Harambee House. 

What began as a public gesture of reconciliation evolved into the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), a constitutional reform effort aimed at reducing ethnic tensions, expanding executive power, and addressing historical injustices. 

Though the BBI was ultimately struck down by the courts in 2021, the Uhuru-Raila alliance reshaped Kenyan politics, marginalising then-Deputy President William Ruto and setting the stage for the 2022 election, in which Raila, backed by Uhuru, lost to Ruto.

Despite occasional public spats, including Uhuru's frustration with Raila's 2022 campaign strategy, the two maintained a personal rapport built on mutual respect for their families' roles in Kenya's independence and post-independence struggles. 

Uhuru often referred to Raila as "my elder brother," while Raila praised Uhuru's willingness to defy political odds for national unity.

As Kenya enters the last days of national mourning, with flags flying at half-mast across the country, Raila Odinga's passing has prompted widespread reflection on his enduring impact.