Former Cabinet Secretary and Chama Cha Kazi party leader Moses Kuria has issued a public apology to the Odinga family and the Luo community, saying it was long overdue and necessary for national healing. Kuria said the apology was made on behalf of the Kikuyu community and the wider Mount Kenya region, acknowledging decades of political hostility that unfairly targeted the Odingas.
In a statement shared on his official platforms, Kuria admitted that for more than six decades, political narratives had portrayed the Odinga family, starting with Kenya’s first Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and later his son, former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, as enemies of the Kikuyu community. He said this narrative was deliberately crafted for political mobilisation and had caused deep divisions between communities.
Kuria described the portrayal as wrong, harmful and misleading, noting that it entrenched ethnic mistrust and passed resentment from one generation to another. He offered what he termed an “unqualified and profuse apology” to the Odinga family and the Luo nation, taking responsibility for the role political leaders and communities from Mt Kenya played in sustaining the hostility.
The outspoken politician emphasised that the Luo community and the Odingas are not enemies of the Kikuyu people and should never have been treated as such. He warned against the continued use of ethnic fear and hate as political tools, saying Kenya has paid a heavy price for divisive politics.
Kuria called for honest reflection, forgiveness and reconciliation, arguing that the country cannot move forward while trapped in historical political grudges. He urged leaders and citizens alike to reject narratives that pit communities against each other and instead focus on unity and shared national interests.
The apology has sparked widespread discussion across the political divide, with some Kenyans welcoming it as a bold step towards healing, while others debate whether any individual can apologise on behalf of an entire community. Nonetheless, Kuria insisted that acknowledging past wrongs is a critical step in building a more cohesive and peaceful nation.
