Raila’s German Friend Reveals Their Private Bond

For years, Raila Odinga was known to millions as a political giant. But away from rallies and public life, he was also a football fan, a joker and a friend who loved German songs.

That side of him was known to Dieter Rolf, a German-born resident of Kenya who shared nearly two decades of friendship with the late opposition leader.

Their bond was built on simple moments. Football was watched together. Beer songs were sung. Private jokes were shared.

Now, one year after Raila’s death, those memories have become precious. In Rolf’s home, one chair remains untouched.

A Chair That Remains Empty

Rolf says the chair was Raila’s favourite spot when they watched football together. It was even carried along for interviews.

“We would watch football. Raila was sitting there and I was sitting here. That was his chair,” Rolf recalled.

No one has sat in it since Raila died. For Rolf, it is a reminder of a friendship that extended far beyond politics.

The photographs on his walls and in his phone offer another glimpse of their life together. Some, he says, have never been published.

A Friendship Born in German

Rolf, who says he has lived in Kenya for 30 years, first met Raila at a social function. Their conversation took an unexpected turn when he learnt that Raila spoke fluent German.

Raila had spent nine years in Germany, where he attended university in Magdeburg. Later, the two returned there together and visited some of his former professors.

Their friendship grew from those early conversations. Raila would ask Rolf where they could go to relax, and the meetings became a regular part of their lives.

“Absolutely, we were always on the same level,” Rolf said, describing Raila as a man who never acted superior to him.

Football, Beer and German Songs

Away from political meetings, the two friends shared a passion for Arsenal. Their moods often followed the club’s fortunes.

“When we would lose, you would see his face down,” Rolf said. “But whenever we won, he would jump off his chair.”

Victories were celebrated with dancing and their favourite beer. Raila also enjoyed singing traditional German beer songs, Rolf recalled.

They would sometimes chat in German and learn to use WhatsApp on a tablet while relaxing at the Coast. The moments were ordinary, but they became part of a friendship Rolf now struggles to replace.

The Call That Never Came

Rolf’s memories of Raila are also marked by the final day they tried to speak. On the morning of 15 October 2025, he called his friend. The call went unanswered.

He had hoped to discuss plans for the birthday of Raila’s brother, Oburu Oginga. Raila and Rolf also shared a birthday, on 7 January, and had discussed celebrating privately.

The plan was never realised. Raila died on 15 October 2025. Rolf says he found it difficult to attend the funeral. The thought of saying goodbye was too painful.

“As long as I did not go to the funeral, I feel like he is still with me,” he said.

A Difficult Chapter in Kenya

Their friendship was not untouched by politics. In 2015, Rolf says, he was detained at an airport and later sent to Namibia, where he remained for two months.

He said officials suspected wrongdoing after learning that money was expected from Germany. Rolf maintained that the funds related to an overpayment of tax.

He recalled that a court ruled against his removal from Kenya. The circumstances of his detention were presented through his account.

During that period, Rolf says, he urged Raila to seek reconciliation with then-President Uhuru Kenyatta. He believed cooperation would ease political tensions and reduce the risk of violence.

Raila initially resisted, Rolf recalled, saying that Uhuru was younger and should make the first move. Rolf continued to press for dialogue.

The two leaders later reached a political truce, known widely as the 2018 “handshake”. Rolf saw the reconciliation as a welcome change.

Grief Behind the Public Image

Rolf also remembers the personal losses that weighed on Raila. The death of his son Fidel was one of the hardest moments, he said.

He also recalled the distress surrounding Raila’s daughter Rosemary and her loss of sight. Rolf said he travelled with her to Germany and was relieved by her later improvement.

Another quality that puzzled him was Raila’s ability to forgive political adversaries. He struggled to understand how Raila could forgive former President Daniel arap Moi, under whose government Raila was detained for years.

For Rolf, that capacity to move beyond past wounds was part of what made his friend difficult to understand, and impossible to forget.

‘That Chance Is Gone’

Rolf believes Kenya lost the opportunity to be led by a good leader when Raila was not elected president.

“You see those who did not vote for him lost a chance of having a good leader,” he said. “And that chance is gone.”

It is a political judgement from a close friend. But Rolf’s memories offer something beyond an assessment of Raila’s public career.

They preserve the small rituals of a private life: a favourite chair, an Arsenal match, a song in German and a phone call that went unanswered. For Rolf, the absence is still felt in the quiet moments when the crowds have gone home.