New Changes Announced in Raila Odinga’s Funeral Program

The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) has announced significant adjustments to the funeral program of the late former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga, just a day before his scheduled airlift to Kisumu.

In a statement released on Friday, October 17, 2025, ODM’s Director of Communications Philip Etale said the late opposition leader’s body will no longer be taken to his Karen residence for an overnight stay as earlier planned.

The decision, according to the National Funeral Committee, was reached due to what it termed as “unavoidable circumstances” that disrupted the initial schedule.

“The national funeral committee wishes to announce to the public that due to unavoidable circumstances, the body of the late Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga will not be taken to his Karen residence for overnight stay as earlier planned,” the statement read in part.

Following the new directive, the body will, after the ongoing public viewing at Nyayo National Stadium, be returned to the Lee Funeral Home for preservation.

It will remain there overnight before being airlifted to Kisumu on the morning of Saturday, October 18.

ODM expressed regret over the sudden change and extended an apology to the public for any inconvenience caused.

Thousands of mourners have continued to flock to the Nyayo National Stadium since early Friday morning to view the body of the late statesman. The atmosphere at the venue has been somber yet charged with emotion, as Kenyans from all walks of life gather to pay their final respects to a man whose political career shaped decades of Kenya’s democratic struggle.

Raila Odinga, who died on Wednesday, October 15, 2025, while receiving treatment in India, will be flown to Kisumu ahead of his burial on Sunday, October 19, at his ancestral home in Bondo, Siaya County.

His funeral is expected to draw thousands of mourners, including dignitaries from across Africa and beyond, marking the final farewell to one of Kenya’s most influential political figures.