Kwaheri Baba: Raila's funeral nears conclusion as Kenya prepares to bury its gallant son
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga who passed away following a cardiac arrest in Kerala India on October 15, 2025. File photo
The time ticks and the hour is fast approaching.
Kenya's longtime opposition leader Raila Amolo Odinga, who passed away on October 15, 2025, at the age of 80 will be laid to rest on Sunday.
The body fast arrived in Kisumu on Saturday before it was later taken to the Odinga's Opoda farm in Bondo, Siaya County.
A misty Saturday morning greeted the arrival of the body of Kenya’s veteran opposition leader--Odinga--as thousands of mourners packed the corridors of Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Mamboleo to pay their final respects. The flag-draped coffin landed shortly after dawn, airlifted from Kisumu International Airport to the stadium by a National Intelligence Service (NIS) helicopter.
From the moment the chopper touched down, the air was thick with emotion.
Supporters shouted “Baba! Baba!” and waved twigs, flags, and portraits in honour of Odinga--known affectionately as Baba by millions across Kenya.
Vuvuzelas blared and Luo traditional didges echoed through the crowd.
A ceremonial guard of honour clad in military uniform received the casket, which had earlier arrived aboard a Kenya Air Force C-27J Spartan aircraft code-named “ENIGMA01” in tribute to the late leader’s reputation as a political “enigma.”
The stadium, already at full capacity by 9am, served as the main public viewing venue for Odinga’s body on Saturday. Screens and loudspeakers have been set up at key points including the Kisumu Boys Roundabout, allowing mourners unable to enter the grounds to follow the proceedings.
Police and military personnel have been stationed throughout the venue and along approach roads, following previous crowd control challenges during his earlier viewing in Nairobi.
“Everything has been planned carefully — the stadium is secured, and we are here to allow Kenyans from Luo Nyanza and the wider Western region to say farewell to our son of the soil," said one of the organisers.
The crowds arrived from as early as 5 a.m., enduring overnight rains and cold in hotel lobbies and hotel lawns, united in grief and tribute.
Following the viewing in Kisumu, Mr Odinga’s coffin is scheduled to be driven to his ancestral home in Bondo, Siaya County, where a final, private burial will take place on Sunday.
According to the funeral planning committee, viewing will end by 3 p.m. at the stadium and the convoy will depart for Bondo where the state funeral will be concluded with full honours.
Family and government sources confirm that Odinga requested burial “within 72 hours” of his passing — a relatively swift process compared to past Kenyan leadership funerals.
While the mood was somber, there was also unmistakable pride and colour. In Kisumu streets, small groups of mourners held candles and chanted in unison. In the stands at the stadium, children and elders sat side by side, some wearing T-shirts emblazoned with Odinga’s image, others holding placards reading “Jowi Jowi” — a slogan he adopted for youth engagement.
Security personnel confirmed the operation is one of the largest crowd-management exercises in recent Kenyan history: checkpoints ringed the stadium area, drones flew overhead, and medical teams stood ready in tents erected inside the venue.
As the day draws to a close, the nation awaits the final chapter of Odinga’s journey — from Kisumu to Bondo — and the culmination of a career that spanned decades, five presidential bids, and a legacy rooted in democracy and public service.
