A heavy silence settled over Nairobi, Kisumu, Bondo, Kibera and beyond as Kenyans grappled with the shock and sorrow of losing Raila Odinga.
The former Prime Minister died on Wednesday, October 15, and the grief was immediate and all around.
In Bondo, hundreds of mourners journeyed to his family home, marching along dusty roads clutching sprigs of green leaves a symbol of mourning and respect.
The afternoon sun fell on empty streets and shuttered shops as business came to a standstill.
Kisumu provided a mirror image of Bondo’s silence. In the city’s central business district, shop owners closed voluntarily.
Outside, the wails of supporters echoed off buildings, and boda boda riders hundreds of them flooded the avenues, their engines drowned by whistles and cries of lament.
Many gathered to pay tribute to Raila as a hero, and some urged the government to suspend official functions in his name.
“We are deeply sad, shaken, nervously hurting,” said one resident, voice trembling. “Raila fought for so many lives, defended Kenyans’ rights. May he rest in peace.”
“No one forced us to close our shops,” another added. “But we had to out of respect. We lost someone we truly admired.”
In Kibera a community Raila once represented as MP for Lang’ata people poured into the streets, crying and chanting.
In Nairobi’s Karen, his home became a focal point for supporters who gathered, tears in their eyes, urging national unity in his honor.
“Let his passing bring us together,” one mourner said. “For decades, he tried to unite Kenya. Maybe now the country should be renamed in his honor.”
