Raila’s Family Thanks Uhuru For Remaining Behind and Visiting His Grave After Burial

The Odinga family has expressed deep gratitude to former President Uhuru Kenyatta for his show of solidarity and compassion following the burial of the late former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga.

In a heartfelt message shared on her social media pages, Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga, Raila’s sister, thanked Uhuru for choosing to stay behind with the family even after the state funeral and private burial had concluded at Opoda Farm in Bondo, Siaya County.

“Thank you, former President Uhuru Kenyatta and valued friends and family who stayed behind to comfort our grieving hearts, a day after we laid our Shujaa to rest,” she wrote. “You have demonstrated how deep this friendship was, and we, the Jaramogi family, do not take it for granted.”

Uhuru’s visit to the grave took place on Monday, October 20, a day after Raila’s interment, in what was described as a quiet and deeply personal gesture of respect.

He arrived at the Odinga family home in Kang’o Ka Jaramogi, accompanied by Siaya Senator Dr. Oburu Oginga, other family members, and close political allies.

Former President Uhuru Kenyatta with family of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga led by Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga and Siaya senator Dr Oburu Odinga in Bondo/HANDOUT

Images and videos from the visit captured the former Head of State standing silently before the flower-covered grave, bowing his head in reflection before raising his hand in a final salute.

His silence spoke volumes, a tribute to a man he long referred to as a brother and comrade in Kenya’s journey toward unity.

The moment was laden with emotion, marking not just the end of an era in Kenya’s politics but the endurance of a friendship that transcended rivalry and time.

Uhuru and Raila’s relationship, though once defined by political competition, evolved into one of mutual respect and cooperation after their historic 2018 handshake that reshaped Kenya’s political discourse and restored national stability after the disputed 2017 elections.

Uhuru’s presence came on the same day President William Ruto, while presiding over Mashujaa Day celebrations in Kitui, posthumously conferred on Raila Kenya’s highest civilian honour — the Chief of the Order of the Golden Heart — in recognition of his lifelong service to democracy and the nation.

Raila Odinga was laid to rest on Sunday, October 19, in a private ceremony at his ancestral home following a grand state funeral at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology.

The ceremony drew local and international dignitaries, among them President Ruto, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, and former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Security at the funeral was overseen by the Kenya Defence Forces, who had earlier accorded Raila a 17-gun salute in honour of his service to the nation. Yet despite the elaborate security, hundreds of mourners overwhelmed barriers after the burial, surging toward the grave to pay their final respects to the man they called “Baba.”

Uhuru’s decision to remain behind, when the crowds had dispersed and the cameras turned away, has been widely viewed as a gesture of genuine friendship and humility.

For the Odinga family, it offered comfort at a time of immense grief and affirmed a bond that, in the words of Ruth Odinga, “goes beyond politics and rests firmly in love, loyalty, and shared history.”