Self-taught sculptor Philemon Kipruto has made history by becoming the first Kenyan artist to create a life-size statue of opposition leader and former Prime Minister Raila Amollo Odinga, unveiling the striking blue-suited figure complete with signature red tie and yellow fedora at his roadside workshop in Chepterit, Nandi County. Philemon Kipruto, the artist behind President Ruto’s statue, has unveiled a new sculpture honouring the late Raila Odinga.
The 27-year-old artisan, who dropped out of Form Two in 2016 to pursue welding and metalwork, spent four months crafting the 1.9-metre fibreglass masterpiece using only photographs and video footage of Baba as reference.
Dressed in Raila’s iconic campaign look, the statue captures the Azimio leader mid-wave, right hand clutching a trademark flywhisk while the left is raised in his famous victory salute. “I wanted Kenyans to see Baba the way we see him every day on TV, full of energy and hope,” Kipruto told bana.co.ke.
Word of the statue spread like wildfire on WhatsApp and X, with the image of Kipruto proudly standing next to his creation gaining over a million impressions in less than 24 hours.
Kenyans immediately flooded comment sections with the same two questions: “Hii ikoje?” and “Can we place it at the National Archives next to Dedan Kimathi and Tom Mboya?”
The sculptor says the idea came during the 2022 campaign period when he noticed every town had statues of founding fathers but none of current leaders who shaped modern Kenya. “Raila has been in active politics for over 40 years. It was time,” he explained while applying final touches of gloss to the shoes.
Not everyone is impressed with the likeness. Some Luo elders joked the nose is “too Kalenjin”, while others praised the attention to detail in the famous red tie knot. Comedian Churchill shared the photo with the caption “Finally Baba has a statue that waves back when you wave at it 😂.”
Whether the statue eventually finds a permanent home at the National Archives or Uhuru Park, one thing is certain: Philemon Kipruto has single-handedly started Kenya’s newest political conversation, proving that sometimes the most powerful tributes come not from marble in Rome, but from fibreglass in Chepterit.