Raila Odinga Laid to Rest at Kang’o ka Jaramogi in Emotional State Burial

Bondo, Siaya County – October 19, 2025

The sun dipped slowly over Bondo as the nation watched in solemn silence. Former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga, Kenya’s most enduring political figure and champion of democracy, was laid to rest at his ancestral home in Kang’o ka Jaramogi, beside his father and mentor, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.

It was a moment steeped in history and emotion — the closing of a political chapter that defined Kenya’s post-independence struggle for justice and reform.

Raila’s casket, draped in the national flag, was carried to the family mausoleum under tight military guard. In a rare honour for a civilian leader, the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) accorded him full military rites, including a 17-gun salute and the ceremonial “last post.” The honours were ordered through a presidential proclamation by President William Ruto, recognizing Raila’s unmatched contribution to the nation’s democratic evolution.

At exactly 4:53 p.m., the first cannon roared across the Bondo skyline. Seventeen thunderous shots followed, reverberating through the quiet countryside. Each round symbolized a chapter of Raila’s defiant yet dignified life in service to Kenya — from his imprisonment during the one-party era to his role in ushering in multiparty democracy and constitutional reform.

As the final echo faded, a lone bugler from the KDF band played the “Last Post,” a haunting melody that left mourners teary-eyed. Across the fields, people stood still — hands clasped, heads bowed. For a man who never became president, the state’s gesture of respect felt like a nation finally acknowledging his presidential spirit.

In Kenya’s military tradition, a 21-gun salute is reserved for a sitting head of state, while a former president receives 19 rounds. The decision to grant Raila 17 — a unique number in national history — was both symbolic and deliberate: a mark of his stature as a freedom fighter and statesman who transcended politics to become a national institution.

President William Ruto, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, Nigerian ex-president Olusegun Obasanjo, and several regional leaders attended the burial. Their presence reflected Raila’s influence far beyond Kenya’s borders.

Speaking earlier during the state funeral at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST), President Ruto delivered one of his most heartfelt tributes yet. “Many commentators say this is a big blow for me — yes, it is. It is a very big blow,” Ruto said, his voice heavy with emotion. “Raila Odinga was not just a political opponent; he was a mentor, a patriot, and a friend.”

The President’s words echoed a rare camaraderie that had blossomed between the two men in recent months, transforming decades of rivalry into mutual respect.

Raila’s final journey from Kisumu to Bondo was marked by massive crowds lining the roads, waving flags, and singing liberation songs that once fueled his political rallies. At the homestead, his wife Ida Odinga and their children — Winnie, Rosemary, and Raila Jr — stood beside the grave as prayers were said before family members laid flowers on the mound.

It was a farewell befitting a man who lived and died for the idea of a better Kenya — a man who bore the scars of struggle but never surrendered his dream of unity and justice.

As darkness settled over Kang’o ka Jaramogi, the last strains of the national anthem drifted through the night air. The people of Bondo whispered their final goodbyes to their son, their hero, their “Baba.”

And Kenya, heavy with grief yet proud of his legacy, laid to rest one of its greatest sons.