Let me weigh in on the backlash directed at Her Excellency Mama Ida Odinga for inviting Rigathi Gachagua to join the family in celebrating Baba’s anniversary. Mama Ida did absolutely nothing wrong. Baba, when he was alive, was an accommodating man with a big heart. He never allowed political competition to become personal. Remember, Moi detained Baba for 12 years, yet Baba eventually forgave him and agreed to work with him. Who can forget how Uhuru Kenyatta attacked Baba, calling him Kimundu Kiguruki and Mchawi? Yet Baba still found a way to work with him. Moses Kuria was even more brutal. He went as far as calling for Baba’s public circumcision. But Baba understood one thing: politics is competition, not a personal war.** Who would have imagined that Baba and President William Ruto would eventually join hands after their fallout in 2008? Very few people saw that coming. But Baba never allowed political differences to cloud his judgment. He could forgive his rivals, put their differences aside and work with them when circumstances allowed. That was the Baba we knew. Rigathi Gachagua, despite his divisive and tribal politics, has not done anything worse than some of the leaders Baba eventually forgave and worked with. Mama Ida inviting Gachagua to Bondo was an act of goodwill. In my view, she was keeping Baba’s spirit alive by refusing to make political differences personal. Baba would have understood that gesture. He knew that political opponents could disagree fiercely today and still find common ground tomorrow. Let us stop being unnecessarily emotional. These leaders have relationships that go beyond politics, and we should not expect them to carry political rivalries into every family occasion. You can disagree politically without becoming enemies personally. That was one of Baba’s greatest lessons, and perhaps it is time we learnt it.