Raila to Be Buried on Sunday as Government Unveils State Funeral Programme

Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga will be laid to rest on Sunday, October 19, at his ancestral home in Bondo, Siaya County, following his death on Wednesday morning in India after suffering a cardiac arrest during a morning walk.

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, who chairs the national funeral committee, announced that the burial will take place within 72 hours of Odinga’s death, in accordance with the former premier’s wishes as communicated by his family and their lawyer.  

Speaking at the Deputy President’s official residence in Karen on Wednesday evening, Kindiki said the committee received formal communication from the family regarding Odinga’s final directive to be interred as quickly as possible.

“We have been advised as a committee by the family that it was the wish of Raila Odinga to be buried within the shortest time possible. The family has informed the committee that the timeline is 72 hours,” Kindiki stated.

The Deputy President confirmed that Odinga’s body will arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Thursday morning at around 8:30am, where it will be received by President William Ruto alongside members of the Odinga family. 

Following the airport reception, the body will be escorted to Lee Funeral Home before being moved to the Parliament Buildings at noon. Kenyans will have an opportunity to pay their last respects through a public viewing scheduled between noon and 5pm.

The burial will be conducted according to the traditions of the Anglican Church to which Odinga belonged,  Kindiki added, noting that the government is working swiftly to honour the family’s request and ensure all arrangements meet the tight deadline.

President Ruto earlier announced a seven-day national mourning period during which the national flag will fly at half-mast across the country and at all Kenyan embassies abroad.

In a televised address from State House, the President declared that Odinga would be accorded a state funeral with all attendant honours.

“We have lost one of Africa’s greatest leaders, a giant of democracy, a fearless fighter, and a tireless warrior of good governance,” Ruto said in his emotional tribute.

A high-level delegation led by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi left Kenya on Wednesday evening for India to oversee the repatriation process.

The team includes Cabinet Secretaries Kipchumba Murkomen and Hassan Joho, National Assembly Majority Leader Kimani Ichung’wah, Minority Leader Junet Mohamed, and members of the Odinga family, including his wife Ida Odinga.

The Indian government has offered to facilitate the repatriation of Odinga’s remains at Kenya’s request,  President Ruto confirmed.

The 80-year-old political icon collapsed around 8am during a morning walk at Sreedhareeyam Ayurvedic Eye Hospital in Koothattukulam, Kerala, where he had been undergoing treatment after suffering a minor stroke in Kenya.

He was accompanied by his daughter, sister, personal doctor, and both Kenyan and Indian security officers when he collapsed.

He was rushed to Devamatha Hospital where he was pronounced dead at around 9:52am Indian time. 

Odinga had flown to India on October 3 amid speculation about his health status, with his family initially downplaying concerns.

His brother, Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga, had assured Kenyans earlier that Raila was recuperating well and expected to return home soon.

The funeral committee, co-chaired by Deputy President Kindiki and Senator Oburu Odinga, faces what officials describe as a significant logistical challenge given the short timeframe and the distance involved in bringing the body from India.

Security has been heightened across the country, with authorities particularly vigilant in Odinga’s political strongholds including Kisumu, Kibera, and other parts of Nairobi.

Thousands of mourners have already gathered at his Karen residence and in various parts of the country to pay their respects.

Widely regarded as one of Kenya’s most influential political figures, Odinga shaped the country’s modern democracy over a career spanning more than four decades.

He ran for president five times without success and served as Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013 in President Mwai Kibaki’s coalition government.

The elaborate state funeral is expected to draw dignitaries from across Africa and beyond, reflecting Odinga’s stature as a continental statesman and symbol of democratic resilience in Kenya and the wider African continent.

Kenyans mourning the death of Raila Odinga.