‘Won’t be back for many a day’: Raila’s beloved "Jamaica Farewell" song becomes his final goodbye
Across YouTube and social media, Kenyans are revisiting the song, leaving heartfelt tributes.
Harry Belafonte's "Jamaica Farewell", one of Raila Odinga's favourite songs, has taken on a haunting new meaning for many Kenyans.
Raila once sang the line, "But I'm sad to say I'm on my way, won't be back for many a day, my heart is down", words that now echo deeply following his passing in Kochi, India.
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Across YouTube and social media, Kenyans are revisiting the song, leaving heartfelt tributes.
"Go well, father of democracy. True freedom fighter," wrote Dennis Kimutai under one YouTube video.
"This song will never sound the same again," added Stanley Mejah.
"Raila's death has brought me here," said another user, Erick Kwanga.
As his voice echoes through the song “Jamaica Farewell,” Raila Odinga’s towering legacy echoes through Kenya’s history. pic.twitter.com/Q7jQzBziKx
— The Eastleigh Voice (@Eastleighvoice) October 15, 2025
Raila had shared his affection for Belafonte's music in a past interview with comedian Daniel "Churchill" Ndambuki, saying "Jamaica Farewell" resonated deeply with him.
He even sang a few lines to the audience's applause.
Years later, in another interview with journalist Joseph Warungu, he performed it again — his voice carrying the same nostalgia the song evokes.
Belafonte's 1956 ballad is about departure and longing — a sailor leaving behind his beloved Jamaica, torn between beauty, memory, and home.
For many Kenyans, those lyrics now feel prophetic.
The man who once sang them — with warmth, wit, and a hint of wistfulness — has indeed gone, not to Jamaica or politics, but from life itself.
Even this writer discovered the song anew, through Raila's voice, through grief, and through reflection on how music etches itself into memory.
Harvard scholar Patrick Whelan once wrote that music's emotional power lies in evolution — our early ancestors relied on sound to survive, shaping how deeply we respond to rhythm and tone.
Today, that ancient instinct explains why one song can move a nation to tears.
Raila's voice singing "But I'm sad to say I'm on my way..." now lingers not just as melody, but as memory, a farewell from Kenya's eternal enigma.
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