Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi Recounts How He Hid Raila Odinga from Arrest and Helped Him Flee the Country Disguised as an Old Woman
Last Updated on October 16, 2025 by Turkana County News Online
Former UNCTAD Secretary-General and Kenyan Cabinet Minister, Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi, has shared a captivating story from Kenya’s turbulent political past, revealing how he once sheltered Raila Odinga from arrest and later helped him flee the country disguised as an old woman.
Speaking while paying tribute to the late Raila Odinga, Dr. Kituyi recounted how the events unfolded in 1991, during the repressive regime of President Daniel arap Moi. At the time, Raila was a key figure in the pro-democracy movement pushing for multi-party reforms — an act that had placed him in the crosshairs of the government.
“In 1991, when President Moi began searching for Raila Odinga to have him detained again, we hid him in my house since I wasn’t well-known within the system,” Dr. Kituyi recalled. “At the time, rumors spread that he had gone into exile.”
According to Kituyi, the situation grew increasingly tense, prompting them to devise a daring plan to smuggle Raila out of the country to safety.
“After some time, we tried to help him seek refuge in the United States. We disguised him as an old woman and put him in my car. My wife drove as we attempted to get him into the basement of the American Embassy, but the then U.S. ambassador declined and blocked us from entering,” he revealed.
Although the initial plan failed, the incident highlighted the extraordinary measures taken by those close to Raila to shield him from political persecution. Raila would later successfully flee to Norway, where he was granted political asylum.
During his exile, he continued advocating for democratic reforms and human rights in Kenya until the reintroduction of multi-party politics in 1992.
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