Govt Calls Out Kenyans Mocking Raila Odinga's Son In Viral Challenge
A number of TikTokers have been posting lip-sync videos imitating Raila Junior — son of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga — by deliberately distorting their mouths to mimic his facial appearance.
Viral Tea Ke Writer 
Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura has slammed a section of Kenyans for mocking Raila Odinga Junior’s appearance online.
In a post on X on Tuesday, October 21, Mwaura termed the behaviour “horrendous,” condemning reports that some users had turned the mockery into a viral “challenge” on social media.
“It’s very wrong to mock someone based on their appearance due to an inherent condition. It’s even horrendous to create a ‘challenge’ to body shame,” Mwaura stated.
“Such behaviour reflects more on your poor character and upbringing in the name of content creation. Let’s be human for once,” he added.
Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, Government Spokesperson Isaac Mwaura and Raila Odinga Junior posing for a photo shared on October 21, 2025. /ISAAC MWAURA
A number of TikTokers have been posting lip-sync videos imitating Raila Junior — son of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga — by deliberately distorting their mouths to mimic his facial appearance.
Many of these videos feature creators lip-syncing to Junior’s remarks at his father’s funeral service. However, the trend has drawn widespread backlash, with most TikTok users condemning and reporting the content.
Online outrage has also spread to other platforms, including Facebook, with Mwaura becoming the latest public figure to weigh in on the issue.
Raila Junior’s Condition
Raila Junior lives with Acoustic Neuroma, also known as Vestibular Schwannoma — a noncancerous, slow-growing tumour that forms on the vestibular nerve connecting the inner ear to the brain.
He has previously explained that the condition is hereditary, inherited from his mother’s side, and is the reason the left side of his face is paralysed.
In 2022, Junior clarified misconceptions that he suffered from Bell’s Palsy — a temporary condition causing facial paralysis — explaining instead that his diagnosis is Acoustic Schwannoma.
“I have what is called an Acoustic Schwannoma. This is a non-cancerous growth at the back of my brain,” Junior explained in a 2022 interview.
“What happens is that every human being has five ventricles, and if you show your hands, they come streaming from the back of every human being, and mine presses against my third ventricle, which controls the nerves on the right side of my face. This is what caused the right side of my face to get paralysed.”
