Kenya’s former Prime Minister and long-time opposition leader, Raila Odinga, was laid to rest on Sunday in his hometown of Bondo, in the country’s west, after days of national mourning and emotional tributes attended by thousands.
“Now finally Baba is home,” said his son, Raila Odinga Jr., beside his father’s casket, which was draped in the Kenyan flag.
The burial marked the conclusion of several days of memorial events that drew massive crowds but were marred by tragedy — at least five people lost their lives and dozens were injured during various ceremonies, including a chaotic public viewing in Kisumu on Saturday.
Odinga, who died on Wednesday at the age of 80 in an Indian hospital, was one of Kenya’s most influential and polarizing political figures. He served as prime minister following the disputed 2007 elections that sparked post-election violence, and for decades stood as the nation’s foremost opposition voice, contesting five presidential elections — the last just three years ago.
Despite never becoming president, Odinga’s charisma and unwavering call for democracy earned him a near-cult following in western Kenya. Former U.S. President Barack Obama, whose father hailed from the same region, hailed Odinga as a “true champion of democracy.”
Sunday’s memorial service, held at Bondo University, drew political leaders, foreign dignitaries, and thousands of emotional supporters waving Kenyan flags and holding up portraits of the late statesman. “Even in the grave, he still remains our hero,” one mourner told AFP.
Military pallbearers carried Odinga’s coffin to the front as choirs sang hymns and tributes poured in. President William Ruto, in a message posted on Facebook, described Odinga as a patriot who devoted his life to justice, democracy, and national unity.
“His courage, his vision, and his unyielding faith in our collective destiny will forever illuminate the path of our nation,” Ruto said. “His return to Bondo was not merely a homecoming; it was the embrace of a grateful Republic bidding farewell to one of its greatest sons.”
Odinga was interred at his family’s mausoleum beside his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga — Kenya’s first vice president and another towering figure in the country’s independence history.
Earlier memorials included a state funeral in Nairobi on Friday and a massive public viewing in Kisumu on Saturday, where tens of thousands filed past his open coffin, many weeping and chanting, “We are orphans.”
Tragically, police gunfire during the Kisumu viewing left at least three mourners dead and dozens injured, underscoring both the passion and the tension that have long accompanied Odinga’s remarkable political journey.
