Why the Military Honored Raila Odinga With a 17-Gun Salute

Bondo, Kenya — The rhythmic cracks of a 17-gun salute echoed across Kang’o ka Jaramogi in Bondo on Sunday evening as the late former Prime Minister Raila Amollo Odinga was laid to rest beside his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.

The military honours, rarely accorded to a civilian leader, reflected the extraordinary stature Raila held in Kenya’s public life, a man who was never president yet carried the hopes of a nation for decades.

Moments after the coffin was lowered into the grave, Raila’s trademark cap and fly whisk, symbols of his political identity, were placed gently atop the casket by his longtime bodyguard Maurice Ogeta.

The quiet moment was followed by the sharp volleys of gunfire from the Kenya Defence Forces rifles.

Seventeen rounds pierced the Bondo sky in a powerful farewell befitting a statesman.

Casket of late former PM Raila Odinga surrounded by security offficers during the funeral services at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology in Bondo.

Although debate surrounded whether Raila would be granted a State funeral, President William Ruto confirmed during his address that he personally sanctioned the military honours.

“Some people tried to persuade me not to give Raila a State funeral with military honours,” Ruto said. “But I felt that as the people’s president, he deserved the honour given to heads of state.”

From the moment the government declared a seven-day period of national mourning and ordered flags to fly at half-mast, the tone of Raila’s send-off was unmistakably that of a State leader.

His body was flown back from India aboard a chartered aircraft and received a water cannon salute at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, a ceremony reserved for national figures.

The following day, his body lay in state at Parliament Buildings, where thousands of Kenyans and dignitaries, including President Ruto and former President Uhuru Kenyatta, paid their final respects.

At Nyayo National Stadium, during the national requiem mass, thousands of mourners gathered from all walks of life to honour the man many called Baba.

Later, his remains were flown to Kisumu aboard a Kenya Air Force C-27J Spartan, an aircraft usually designated for the President and senior military officers. Upon arrival, another water cannon salute greeted the flight, reaffirming the significance of the occasion.

According to the Defence Forces Standing Orders, the number of gun salutes given corresponds to a leader’s rank or position.

A 21-gun salute is reserved for a sitting head of state, while 19 guns honour retired presidents or those of equivalent authority such as the Chief of Defence Forces.

A 17-gun salute, which was accorded to Raila, is reserved for a retired Prime Minister, Vice President, or senior military officer.

Casket of late former PM Raila Odinga surrounded by security offficers during the funeral services at Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology in Bondo.

This classification made Raila Odinga’s honour not only symbolic but also grounded in established military protocol. His service as Kenya’s Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013 placed him within that tier, making the salute a fitting tribute.

Previous state funerals help place the gesture in perspective. Retired Presidents Daniel arap Moi in 2020 and Mwai Kibaki in 2022 both received 19-gun salutes, while the late General Francis Ogolla, who served as Chief of Defence Forces, received the same. Raila’s 17-gun salute therefore matched his former national position and his standing as one of Kenya’s most influential leaders.

During the burial, which was conducted under Anglican rites, the military flag that had draped Raila’s coffin was formally handed to his widow, Mama Ida Odinga, in a solemn act of respect. National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula presented a compilation of Raila’s parliamentary contributions, drawn from the Hansard and the tributes made in Parliament after his death.

As the final shots faded over Bondo, the ceremony closed a monumental chapter in Kenya’s political journey. Though Raila Odinga never wore the presidential sash, the sound of those 17 guns affirmed what millions of Kenyans already knew — that he had long earned his place among the nation’s greatest sons.

“He was never president, but he was presidential,” a senior officer quietly remarked after the ceremony. “That salute was not just for protocol. It was for history.”