This archive report was first published on 13 October 2021.
Kenyan politician Raila Odinga has been trending on social media after a photo of him wearing expensive sports shoes surfaced. The shoes, which are believed to be a Nike X Off-white Air Jordan 1, have sparked controversy, with some Kenyans questioning the cost of the shoes.
According to online research, the shoes may have cost Raila nearly half a million Kenyan shillings. The cost has drawn interest from a cross-section of Kenyans and is bound to remain a topic of discussion and fun-poking for sometime.
Some Kenyans have taken to social media to express their opinions on the matter. City lawyer senior counsel Ahmednasir Abdullahi appeared to mock the cost of the shoes, saying, "My day was good…ALHAMDULILAH," and "…But baba beat me 10: ZERO…at Ksh419,467…even that is kidogo (a little) above my budget!"
However, another Twitter user, Id Amini Ruto, did more research and came up with a lower price version of the shoes. He explained that the Raila Odinga's shoe is the "low cut" and not the Hightown that was shared by Ahmednasir.
With the exact specifications of the shoe Raila was wearing unavailable, it is hard to verify the price. Various Kenyans shared similar versions of the shoe with different prices, an indication of differences in quality.
