Gor Mahia head coach Charles Akonnor has expressed his disappointment at not getting the opportunity to meet Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga who unfortunately died on 15 October 2025 while undergoing treatment in India.
Serving in his first year as the K’Ogalo boss, Akonnor, who hails from Ghana, was hoping to include Odinga among the great leaders he has met after the likes of Nelson Mandela whom he met at the Africa Cup of Nations in 1996.
In his house, the former Wolfsburg captain has a Wall of Fame for global leaders who inspire him like Haile Selassie, Barack Obama and Kwame Nkrumah. And after coming to Kenya, Akonnor had hoped to meet the great Kenyan leader, who was also the longtime patron of Gor Mahia, only for that dream to be cut short in cruel fashion.
ALSO READ: Gor Mahia mourn loss of longtime club patron Raila Odinga
Akonnor hails former Gor Mahia patron as great man
“Now that I was here and I heard a lot about him, I was looking forward to seeing him but unfortunately, he passed,” he told SportPesa Blog.
“The kind of weight he carried is unbelievable and you could see it during the day when the body arrived from the airport.
It is very unfortunate that I could not see him, but he is part of people I believe play a bigger role not just for Kenya but the whole continent. Indeed, he is a great man,” Akonnor stated.
Odinga was a towering figure in Kenyan politics who valued the impact sports had in the country as he frequently attended games.
ALSO READ: Gor Mahia out to slash Posta Rangers’ lead in SportPesa League thriller
Just before his passing, he had donated a cash token of 10 million to Gor Mahia at the start of October 2025 to help with administrative work in the 2025/2026 SportPesa League campaign.
“An incredible visit to our Patron, Hon. Raila Odinga and Mama Ida Odinga’s home in Karen, the club management had a good time.
In a demonstration of his unwavering commitment and truly generous gesture, our Patron presented the club with a monumental gift of KSh 10 million to support administrative functions. We are deeply grateful to our Patron and his family,” Gor Mahia announced.
ALSO READ: Gor Mahia Patron Raila Odinga injects millions to power 2025/26 campaign
About Raila Odinga
Odinga ran unsuccessfully for the presidency five times. He was widely regarded as a master strategist and mass mobilizer, often drawing huge crowds to his political rallies, and he had a deep ability to connect with ordinary people.
He will be remembered for his unwavering fight for democratic freedoms and human rights.
He was a former political prisoner and holds the record for being Kenya’s longest-serving detainee. His struggle against one-party dictatorship saw him detained twice (from 1982 to 1988 and 1989 to 1991) during the rule of Daniel Arap Moi.
He was initially imprisoned for trying to stage a coup in 1982, which propelled him on to the national stage.