ODM leader Raila Odinga./FILEODM leader Raila Odinga informed his family that he wished to be buried within 72 hours of his demise, it has been revealed.
A family source said President William Ruto was informed of Raila’s desire shortly after he arrived at Raila’s home in Karen.
“Mzee put it in his Will that he should be interred within 72 hours; the President has been told to work around those timelines,” the source added.
Following the revelations, the family member Raila is set to be buried by Sunday in the family’s graveyard in Kango Ka Jaramogi, Nyamira, Bondo, beside his late father Jaramogi and son Fidel’s graves.
In a detailed funeral programme seen by the Star, there are four sittings in the planning of Oding'a's burial: one at his Karen home, Opoda home, Kisumu city and the Nairobi committee.
The body will arrive at the Lee Funeral Home on Thursday at 9.00 am from the airport and then head to Parliament Thursday 11 am.
A public prayer service will be held at the Nyayo Stadium on Friday, followed by a burial on Sunday.
The family led by Mama Ida Odinga, and a state delegation headed by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi are scheduled to leave the country later today to bring the body home.
The remains of Raila who served as country’s Premier between 2008-2013 are expected in the country tomorrow, Thursday, when the countdown of 72 hours will kick in.
A funeral committee co-chaired by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga will start holding sessions immediately and is expected to announce the burial plans.
A public funeral service is expected in Nairobi on Friday, should the committee honour Raila’s Will, before flying the body to Siaya the same evening ahead of Sunday’s events.
The ODM leader who was in a morning jog collapsed before dying shortly in the southern Indian state of Kerala. He was accompanied by his sister, daughter Winnie, a personal doctor, and Indian and Kenyan security officers, when he collapsed.
Earlier on, President Ruto announced a seven-day national mourning period during which the national flag will be flown at half-mast in the country and all of Kenya’s embassies abroad.
Other than Ida and Musalia, others in the delegation include Jaoko Oburu, Kevin Opiyo Oginga, and Cabinet Secretaries Hassan Joho and Kipchumba Murkomen.
Ruto spent over two hours in Raila’s Karen home and left shortly after midday after the arrival of Dr. Oburu who was in Siaya at the time news of his younger brother’s death started streaming in.
Raila, who celebrated his 80th birthday in January, this year died just a few weeks after his agemate and former ally Dalmas Otieno died.
The ODM leader missed the funeral, fueling more speculation about the state of his health. The family, initially, was non-committal on his whereabouts as Ida sought to assure the country that Mzee was doing well. However, three days ago Dr. Oburu revealed that Raila was receiving treatment in India and was scheduled to return home soon.
Although he was ill, Raila was still full of energy and spoke with several of his allies and family members, including this morning, just a few minutes before collapsing.
"I spoke to Baba last night, and he was very jovial. I was shocked this morning to hear that he is dead," Nairobi County Assembly Deputy Majority Whip Stazo Omungala said.
He spoke to members of his ODM team that was headed to Kajiado for an activation for the ODM @20 event. 30 minutes later, the team got instructions to return to Nairobi following the tragic event
