THE remains of Raila Odinga have arrived at Opoda Farm, in Kang’o ka Jaramogi, Bondo, for the final leg of his journey home, as Kenya prepares to lay to rest one of Africa’s most influential political figures in a ceremony steeped in traditional Luo customs.
The 80-year-old former prime minister will be buried on Sunday on his father’s homestead with full military honours and as the most supreme Luo elder, fulfilling his wishes for a burial conducted in strict accordance with Luo cultural traditions.
Guests from across the globe have descended on the sprawling family compound in Siaya county, transforming the rural homestead into an international gathering place as the world bids farewell to “Baba.”
A Widow’s Plea for Peace
As dignitaries and mourners converge on Opoda Farm, Odinga’s widow has issued an urgent appeal for the final send-off to remain peaceful, following a devastating week that claimed four lives and left more than 20 people injured during memorial services in Nairobi and Kisumu.
The tragedies have cast a sombre pall over what should have been a celebration of Odinga’s remarkable five-decade career as Kenya’s most consequential opposition leader — a former political prisoner who endured torture, ran unsuccessfully for president five times, yet emerged as the nation’s ultimate political kingmaker.
Days of Tragedy and Turmoil
The violence began on Thursday when security forces shot and killed three people after mourners breached gates at Nyayo National Stadium during a public viewing. The following day, a stampede at the same venue injured 17 more when thousands surged forward after dignitaries departed, hospital sources at Kenyatta National Hospital confirmed.
The chaos had erupted even earlier, when thousands of mourners stormed Nairobi’s main airport upon the arrival of Odinga’s body from India, forcing authorities to suspend flight operations for two hours.
The repeated outbursts of grief-fueled disorder have underscored both the depth of devotion Odinga commanded and the challenges facing a nation struggling to contain the emotional masses determined to pay final respects.
A Cultural Homecoming
Now, as Bondo prepares to receive its most famous son, the focus has shifted to honouring Odinga’s explicit wishes for a traditional Luo burial. The ceremony will see him laid to rest beside his father, independence hero Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, uniting two generations of political giants in the soil of their ancestral home.
The burial will be conducted with full military honours, befitting both his service as Kenya’s second prime minister and his status as a continental statesman. But equally significant will be his recognition as the most supreme Luo elder — an acknowledgement of his unparalleled standing within the community that formed his most devoted base of support.
The Legacy of “Baba”
For western Kenya’s Luo community, Odinga represented more than a political leader. Many believed he was repeatedly denied the presidency through electoral fraud, and his death has intensified both grief and a determination to ensure his final journey reflects the dignity they believe was denied him in life.
Inside Nyayo Stadium on Friday, before the stampede, mourners had waved white handkerchiefs and danced as President William Ruto and African dignitaries delivered tributes. His son, Raila Odinga Jr., placed his father’s signature hat atop the flag-draped coffin in a moment that captured the personal loss behind the public spectacle.
A Nation Holds Its Breath
As Sunday’s burial approaches, Kenyan authorities face the delicate task of facilitating a ceremony that honors both state protocol and deeply held cultural traditions, while preventing further tragedy.
The widow’s appeal for peace resonates with a nation exhausted by violence yet determined to give Raila Odinga the farewell his supporters believe he deserves. For a political figure who spent his life navigating between resistance and accommodation, between tradition and modernity, his final journey home embodies all those contradictions.
At Opoda Farm, where international dignitaries will stand alongside village elders, where military precision will meet ancient ritual, Kenya will attempt what it could rarely achieve during Odinga’s lifetime: unity in his honour.
The passionate crowds that loved Raila Odinga in life have proven just as powerful in death. Now, as Bondo prepares to embrace its son for the last time, a continent watches and hopes that grief can be channelled into the peaceful farewell his widow has pleaded for — and that his legacy deserves.
