When a glowing orange portrait of Raila Odinga began circulating online days after his death, few paused to ask who created it. The image — showing the former Prime Minister’s face rising through a wash of orange and gold — struck a deep emotional chord across Kenya.
But for Collins Omondi Okello, the self-taught artist behind the viral artwork, the moment has been bittersweet.
“I’ve seen my work everywhere — on T-shirts, posters, even shopfronts,” he said in a post on Facebook on Saturday. “People have cropped out my watermark and used it for business. It’s disheartening, but this is the reality for many creatives.”
Okello, who first gained attention nearly a decade ago for another pencil sketch of Mr Odinga, said his latest piece was meant as a personal tribute — not a commercial product. “This was my way of honouring a global icon, someone who shaped our democracy and inspired millions,” he said. “It wasn’t meant for sale. Even the few shirts I made were because people kept asking for them.”
The artist, who is based in Kisumu, appealed to Kenyans to respect his work by retaining his signature on shared images or by offering direct support. “If you must share it, please keep the watermark. And if you can, support my art through appreciation,” he said.
In an interview with Business Daily, Okello recalled his earlier encounters with Mr Odinga, describing them as “life-changing.” In 2015, he said, the veteran politician invited him to Nairobi to present a portrait in person. “Meeting him was an honour,” Okello said. “He was charismatic and kind. Just shaking his hand felt like payment enough.”
That meeting, he said, gave his art career a powerful boost. “The exposure was priceless,” he added. “But more than that, it was the validation of knowing he valued what I had created.”
Okello has drawn five portraits of Mr Odinga over the years, some commissioned by supporters, others made purely from admiration. His latest creation — the one now being widely shared — shows Raila’s face emerging among clouds, a smaller figure beneath him raising a clenched fist skyward.
The image, both ethereal and grounded in symbolism, has come to define the nation’s mourning — a visual farewell to a man long seen as the face of Kenya’s democratic struggle.
Yet behind the viral fame lies a familiar struggle for artists seeking recognition in the digital age. “We love our heroes, and we express it through art,” Okello said. “All I ask is that people remember — there’s a person behind the picture.”
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