Thousands of mourners filled Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi on Friday to pay their final respects to former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, a political icon who died in India earlier this week at the age of 80.
Crowds waving Kenyan flags and carrying portraits of the late leader chanted his name and sang political songs as Odinga’s coffin, draped in the national flag, arrived in a ceremonial military procession. Security around the stadium was heightened, with police and army officers deployed after three people were killed on Thursday during chaotic scenes at the public body-viewing ceremony.
Among the dignitaries attending were the presidents of Somalia and Ethiopia, alongside senior Kenyan officials and foreign diplomats. The mood was one of grief mixed with pride, as mourners hailed Odinga’s lifelong struggle for democracy and justice.
Odinga’s widow, Ida Odinga, described him as “a man who hated dishonesty and greed — the very vices destroying our society.” Bishop David Kodia, who led the service, praised Odinga for using his influence to unite rather than intimidate people.
Mourners carried branches and palm fronds, a traditional symbol of mourning among the Luo community, to which Odinga belonged.
On Saturday, his body will be taken to Kisumu, his political heartland on the shores of Lake Victoria, before being laid to rest on Sunday at his family farm in Bondo, western Kenya. His family said it was his wish to be buried within 72 hours of his passing.
The Kenyan government has declared a seven-day period of national mourning in honour of Odinga, remembered as the father of multi-party democracy and one of the most influential figures in the country’s post-independence politics.