2025 has been marked by the passing of significant individuals who played key roles in shaping their spheres of influence in a number of ways and one can argue even in the world at large. This article will focus specifically on two key players; Pope Francis and Raila Odinga. The focus on these two individuals is due to their diverse backgrounds as a way of showing leadership geopolitically from vast corners of the world and arenas and not solely focusing on one specific region, hemisphere or continent which is what I am interested in focusing on in my blog posts.
These two individuals although have their origins from different parts of the world, it is notable that they share several tenets, one of them being the focus on uplifting the poorer members of society as was evident during Pope Francis time as head of the catholic church and although he lacked geographic sovereignty over a specific area as this was only confined to the Vatican city which is very small in area, what the Vatican lacked in geography was met with the great influence of the Catholic faith with over one billion global followers has made the Catholic church a force to be reckoned with and has played important roles in the geopolitical landscape globally. Mr Odinga in Kenya on the other hand like his counterpart in the Vatican lacked that full sovereign control over an area as he never became President of Kenya which he attempted to do 5 times and although he never became President ( he came close in 2007 and will be discussed) his influence over Kenyan politics is without question unmatched and this was evident as soon as his body was repatriated from India with scores coming to see his body returned at the airport and at the stadium in Nairobi. Both Pope Francis and Raila Odinga continued in their known roles right up to the day they died which although some may criticize as lack of not knowing when to step down due to age and health issues, it is admirable by their sense of duty to serve in their roles despite the frailties they experienced. Let's first look at Pope Francis time as leader of the Catholic faith from his base at the Vatican.
Pope Francis: From the streets of Buenos Aires to the heart of Rome
Pope Francis was born in Argentina in 1936 and was the Archbishop of Buenos Aires when he was selected at the conclave to become the Pope and the first outside of Europe in the Catholic Churches history in March 2013 at the age of 76. He brought his dynamic personal connection and hands on approach to dealing with societal challenges and was seen as being in touch with reality and focused on uplifting the poor and marginalized. His outlook was to the left of the political spectrum and was not afraid to travel to dangerous regions in the world such as visiting Iraq in 2021 and was also an advocate for peace such as pleading with rival parties in South Sudan to end the conflict. He also wanted to reform the Church and make it more inclusive and was not seen as materialistic and chose to stay in a simple dwelling rather than the more grand Pope residence and even travelled in simple fashion such as in ordinary vehicles rather than lavish ones which earned him a lot of supporters globally. He did have his critics such as some in the Vatican not comfortable with his reformist agendas. In his final years he maintained his role with dignity and even in ill health chose to still be involved in church business and even attended an Easter mass on Sunday April 20, 2025 despite being visibly ill a day before he passed away on April 21, 2025 at the age of 88. He was in charge of the Vatican for 12 years and his funeral was attended by many global dignitaries from the US President Donald Trump to Zimbabwe's Vice President Constantino Chiwenga which showed his influence all the way to the vast number of crowds that filled St Peter's Square in the Vatican.
Raila Odinga: The President Kenya never had
Raila Odinga was born in 1945. His father was independent Kenya's first Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. This likely shaped his political views and his political activism attracted global attention when he was accused of plotting a coup against the country's authoritarian leader Daniel Arap Moi in 1982 that led to his incarceration for most of the decade that made him Kenya's longest serving political prisoner. Upon his release he played a key role in bringing multiparty democracy to the country and ran for President five times in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2022.
In 2007 the race was particularly close and turned violent with over 1000 killed leading to a string of negotiations to bring about a peaceful political environment which led to a powersharing agreement between Raila Odinga and the incumbent President Mwai Kibaki that led Odinga to become the Prime Minister until the next elections in 2013 when he lost to the son of the country's founding father Uhuru Kenyatta whose father was Jomo Kenyatta which sparked interest of a continued rivalry between the two as their fathers also at some point were also rivals. In 2017 the country's court came to a dramatic decision and made the elections null and void and said another election should be held that's more acceptable. Odinga decided not to run in that election arguing certain conditions were not met and scores did not turn up which yet again show cased his political might. He later made what was called a "golden handshake" agreement with Uhuru Kenyatta, something he often did with his rivals which critics argue was to save his political career which could be true but also a stroke of political genius to keep his movement going and also his lack of not keeping grudges which was mentioned during his funeral. In 2022 he ran yet again at the age of 77 and in dramatic fashion was backed by the incumbent President Uhuru Kenyatta but lost to Deputy President William Ruto. He later also had a working relationship with Ruto as well which showcased yet again his political strategy to work with his former opponents. In 2024 aged 79 he ran for the highest continental office as Chairperson of the African Union but also lost that race. Despite that set back he continued to lead his movement and remain active and relevant in the political arena up to the end of his life when he passed away in Kerala India on October 15, 2025 at the age of 80 with no signs of him slowing down. His huge popularity in the country was evident by the huge crowds that came to receive his body at the main Airport in Nairobi on a Kenya Airways flight all the way to the stadium. Like Pope Francis his influence had global reach as he was seen as a champion of democracy and many paid tribute to him such as human rights activists, Presidents in the region and beyond.
The parallels between Pope Francis and Kenya's veteran opposition leader and former Prime Minister is astonishing as both wanted to serve until the very end with no talk of retiring. Both advocated for policies to improve the lives of the poor and downtrodden and although they definitely had their critics continued to run with their agendas right up to the end of their lives.
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