Kenyans will on Sunday, October 19, 2025, bid a final farewell to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, one of the country’s most influential and enduring political figures.
A fanfare will be held at Jomo Kenyatta Grounds Kisumu for the late leader’s body between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Afterward, the cortege carrying his remains to his home by Opoda Farm in Bondo, Siaya County, for a night of memory before the burial will be seen.
Raila Odinga’s burial will take place at Kang’o ka Jaramogi, Bondo where he will be buried next to his father, the first Vice President of Kenya, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga-a place symbolizing the two-great-generations of Kenya’s liberation heroes.
The man who changed the face of politics in Kenya
One of the major characters in the Kenyan struggle for democracy was Raila Odinga, who was born in 1945 in Maseno, Kisumu County. He was a key player in the country’s transition to multiparty politics during the “Second Liberation”. His political path was brave and he made a lot of sacrifices along the way. For example, he was locked up on charges of treason from 1982 to 1988 and in 1990, with Matiba and Rubia, he was detained for demanding democratic reforms.
Raila Odinga was loved by many and known by various names – RAO, Hammer, Tinga, Agwambo, and Baba. The perception of him as a man of charm, humor, and his ability to relate to people from all walks of life was shared by many, but few were aware of his great wit and laughter which were often accompanied by his storytelling especially when he used African proverbs to illustrate a point.
Besides his political involvement, he was known for his keen observation, loud laughter and the skill of telling stories. Most of the time, he would use the African proverbs to underline his points.
While the nation is grieving, the memory of Raila Odinga is being kept alive as not only of a political leader and a reformist but also as the one who represented the Kenyan people’s never-ending fight for justice, unity, and democracy.