Raila’s Last Visit to the Barber

A Nairobi barber’s long relationship with Raila Amolo Odinga came into sharp focus after the political leader’s final visit to a city barbershop on 1 August 2025.

For nearly twenty years, the grooming room at Razzle Dazzle Barbershop & Spa on Kimathi Street offered an unusual vantage point into Raila's private demeanour. Julius Kamau Kimani, known as Kamau, has worked at the shop since 2008 and was assigned to serve Raila the following year. What began as a routine task developed into a steady, 15-year working relationship built on reliability and trust.

Kamau describes Raila as consistently composed and courteous, a contrast to the public pressures surrounding his political career. He recalls a client who greeted staff, engaged in a brief, easy conversation, and maintained a warmth that never shifted with the political climate. Their discussions were simple and reflective, giving Kamau a quiet view of the man behind the public figure.

Their connection extended beyond grooming appointments. Kamau remembers a promised gesture of appreciation from Raila, a commitment that was never fulfilled but remained meaningful to him. During the final visit, Raila asked about the land Kamau hoped to purchase, offering a small smile that would become the barber’s last memory of him.

Raila preferred a neat style: a size-two cut and hair dye to maintain his usual look. The sessions were calm, often with the statesman resting or briefly sleeping. At times, he arrived with minor trimming errors from trying to cut his own beard or hair, laughing at the results.

Both Kamau and a long-time acquaintance, Ahmed Ibrahim, recall the quiet composure of that last day. Ahmed had stopped by after Friday prayers with his young son, Maliq, when Raila walked in, greeted everyone, and politely asked for the chair the boy was using. The visit proceeded as usual, a haircut, a short grooming session in an adjacent room, and a characteristically generous payment for several clients’ services before he left.

News of his death reached them soon after. For Ahmed, the memory of Raila smiling at his son only hours earlier deepened the shock. For Kamau, the loss disrupted a routine that had shaped much of his working life. The chair the statesman favoured is now just another seat, yet it represents years of conversation and steady familiarity.

Razzle Dazzle continues with its daily activity, but Kamau says the space feels different. He sometimes imagines the familiar figure stepping through the door or asking about his family. Instead, he holds onto the qualities he observed over the years: generosity, discipline, and an ability to make people feel recognised.