As Kenya enters a week of national mourning, the country turns its collective gaze to the final journey of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga — a towering figure in the nation’s political landscape for over four decades.
Raila will be buried this Sunday, in accordance with his personal wish to be laid to rest within 72 hours of his death. It is a request the government has pledged to honour, not only as a matter of respect, but as a symbolic gesture to a man who consistently challenged the state, and ultimately became part of its fabric.
Announcing the burial plans on Wednesday evening, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki confirmed that Odinga will receive a state funeral — the highest honour accorded to a statesman in Kenya. National flags will fly at half-mast, and the funeral proceedings will be broadcast live across the country, in a move that reflects both the magnitude of Odinga’s political legacy and the public’s emotional investment in his passing.
The funeral schedule is both elaborate and deeply symbolic.
On Thursday, Odinga’s body will arrive in Nairobi at 8:30 AM, and will be received by government dignataries and political elites led by President William Ruto.
Then the body will be taken to Lee Funeral home and thereafter there Will be a public viewing at Parliament Buildings beginning at 12:30 pm.
This gesture, will allow ordinary citizens to file past his body in the very institution where he once led the opposition, is rich with historical resonance.
On Friday, a full state funeral service will be held at Nyayo Stadium, with dignitaries from across Africa expected to attend given that Raila was a pan Africanist.
The event will be conducted in line with official protocol, a reflection of the continental respect Raila earned during his career as a champion of democracy and political reform crusader.
Later that evening, his body will be taken to his Karen residence for an overnight stay, offering a moment of private reflection for family and close friends.
On Saturday, the procession will shift westward to Kisumu’s Moi Stadium, where the body will lie in state from 9:00 Am to 3:00 PM. Kisumu, long regarded as the epicentre of Raila’s political base, is expected to host tens of thousands of mourners.
From Kisumu, the journey will continue to Bondo, his ancestral home, where his body will rest overnight.
The final burial will take place on Sunday, led by the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), in what is expected to be a solemn yet deeply symbolic farewell.
Beyond the logistics, Raila’s funeral is shaping up to be a national moment of unity and reflection during these grief moments.
Known as the "people’s president" by his supporters, Raila spent much of his life in opposition — to regimes, to injustice, to complacency.
His detentions, political battles, and tireless advocacy for constitutional reform etched his name into the annals of Kenya’s democratic evolution.
That he is now being honoured by the very state he often challenged speaks to the complicated but profound relationship he had with power.
Deputy President Kindiki’s appeal for ODM supporters to support the state during this period is a call for calm, but also a recognition that Raila’s legacy belongs to all Kenyans, not just his political base.
“This funeral is not just about Raila Odinga the politician,” Kindiki said, “but a symbol of our nation’s gratitude to a man who gave so much to Kenya.”
As the country prepares for Sunday’s final rites, the moment offers more than closure — it is a mirror to the nation’s history, its struggles, and its enduring hope.
In bidding farewell to Raila, Kenya is not just burying a leader; it is honouring an era.
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