I feel strong and rejuvenated, Raila says days after surgery in the UAE

ODM leader Raila Odinga has spoken for the first time since undergoing surgery in the U.A.E.

He spoke to the public in a video released to the public by his daughter Winnie Odinga on Wednesday.

Dressed down in a pair of blue Khaki shorts and a yellow polo shirt, Raila appeared jovial and smiley insisting that he was in fine fettle.

“Dad, everyone was talking like you are in the ICU, how are you feeling?” Winnie Odinga asks in the video.

To which the ODM leader replies:

“I’m feeling great, I feel strong and rejuvenated and it feels good to be out of town breathing fresh air, I want to thank all my friends, supporters and youth, and everyone who has sent me messages, it feels good and makes one recover faster,” he said.

Earlier in the week, Raila’s wife had revealed to Kenyans that Raila had undergone nerve surgery in the UAE and was on the road to recover.

“He is in the United Arab Emirates-Dubai based International Hospital run by Germans. He has been successfully treated of a mild nerve disorder affecting one leg and not what has been alleged,”she said.

At the same time, she scoffed at Kenyans who were speculating on what the former Prime Minister could be ailing from.

“Treat such rumours with utmost contempt and abhorrence. It’s not right to speculate on someone’s health,” she told the Standard.

The family also watered down claims that Raila would be coming back the country in a week saying his recovery remains the top priority.

“You know that currently there are no commercial flights. This means that if he is to come back, we have to charter a plane. But that process will be kicked off once he fully recovers,” Ms Odinga added.

The last time the ODM leader was seen in public was on June 19 and reports later emerged that he had flown out of the country on “official duty” as the African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development in Africa

His elder brother Oburu Odinga had claimed Raila had undergone a minor surgery on his back saying: “Jakom is out of the country for a minor surgical operation in (sic) his back. It is not a serious health issue, but just a minor one. So, he’s okay,”