Raila Odinga’s death caught the country in shock. He will be laid to rest today, and the University he brought home, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University (JOOUST), is glad to host thousands of mourners as they bid the enigma one final bye. The people of Siaya could not be boasting of a university named after the first vice president if not for Raila Amollo Odinga.
During his tenure as Prime Minister in the Grand Coalition Government, he fought for the creation of a university in Bondo.. His vision was not only to expand higher education in western Kenya but also to ensure that the name of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga lived on.
In 2009, following Cabinet approval, Bondo University College was formally established through Legal Notice No. 56, as a constituent college of Maseno University. The move was part of a national government plan to enhance access to tertiary education, supported by the Ministry of Higher Education under Dr Sally Kosgei and Assistant Minister Prof. Hellen Sambili.
Raila’s influence and advocacy were pivotal in steering the university’s development and securing government backing for its rapid growth. In 2013, just weeks before President Mwai Kibaki left office, the institution was granted a charter and renamed the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST).
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Today, JOOUST stands as a beacon of scientific research and technological advancement in the Lake Region, offering programs across health sciences, engineering, business, and education.
The university’s commitment to innovation and community transformation reflects the ideals championed by both Jaramogi and Raila, a father and son united by their pursuit of freedom, knowledge, and national progress.
As the nation prepares to bid farewell to Raila Amolo Odinga, his final rest at JOOUST carries deep symbolism. It is here, in the institution he helped build and name after his father, that Kenya’s long journey with the Odinga legacy comes full circle.
By Joyline Chebet
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