This archive report was first published on 15 October 2019.
On January 4, 2015, Fidel Castro Odhiambo Odinga, Raila Odinga's heir apparent, died under mysterious circumstances. The family's attempts to uncover the truth behind his death have been met with resistance from Fidel's widow, Lwam Bekelle.
According to court documents, the dispute between Ida Odinga and Bekelle began after Ida recorded a statement with the Directorate of Criminal Investigations detectives regarding Fidel's death. Bekelle claims that this statement was the genesis of their differences.
'I believe that the statement she recorded with the DCI following the death of Fidel Castro Odhiambo Odinga informs the 1st objector's averments and is the genesis of our differences,' Bekelle said.
Bekelle accuses Ida of making false, defamatory, and unkind remarks about her family and friends. In response, Ida and her daughter Winnie accuse Bekelle of cutting off contact with the family and refusing to cooperate with their efforts to uncover the truth behind Fidel's death.
'That even though the death of the deceased remained a mystery and efforts were made to establish what suddenly transpired, the petitioners herein, kept off from the family,' Ida and Winnie said in a joint affidavit.
The dispute has also revealed that Fidel had twins with a different woman, Phoebe Akinyi Ogweno, who are also his dependents. Bekelle disputes Ida's claims that Fidel supported the twins, saying that the birth certificates do not prove paternity.
However, Bekelle says that if it is proved that the twins are Fidel's biological children, she would include them in the list of beneficiaries. The dispute has also raised concerns about the welfare of Fidel's son, Allay Raila Odinga, who has been removed from school and kept at home by Bekelle.
Published on October 15, 2019, at 12:57:37 PM.
