Supporters of Raila Odinga throng Parliament Building on October 16, 2025/PHOTO/ENOS TECHEParliament was forced to call off the viewing of Raila’s body and instead transferred the same to Kasarani has an overwhelming crowd breached the parliament walls.
Due to security concerns and logistical challenges, planners cancelled the viewing at Parliament, which traditionally accords honours to fallen heads of state.
A picture of Raila’s body draped in a Kenyan flag and later displayed in Parliament under the protection of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) will have immortalized the man many fondly referred to as Baba.
However, the chaotic scenes witnessed in Parliament, even before the body left the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), have ensured Raila’s body lying in state in the country’s Legislative building will never be in Kenya’s archives.
Raila, though still getting a full state burial, has missed the chance to be the 5th leader to be immortalized by having his body lie in parliament.
Military police on Thursday morning were forced to dismantle and relocate the lying-in-state platform that had been set up to receive the body of Raila.
Initially, the burial planning committee had announced that Raila’s body would lie in state at Parliament for public viewing before being returned to Lee Funeral Home for preservation.
However, the plan was changed after the situation at Parliament became untenable.
Lying-in-State describes the formal occasion in which a coffin is placed on view to allow the public to pay their respects to the deceased before the funeral ceremony.
Lying-in-State in the UK, where Kenya borrowed the tradition from, is given to the sovereign as head of state, the current or past Queen Consort, and sometimes former Prime Ministers.
Former Attorney General Justin Muturi, who was the National Assembly Speaker between 2013 and 2022, regretted the unfortunate security lapses, saying the chaos had done a disservice to one of the country’s foremost leaders.
“This could have been a culmination of his many years as a Member of Parliament (MP) and later Prime Minister. It’s a very unfortunate situation that has denied him that honor,” he said.
Muturi said Raila’s contribution to the nation could have been better captured if parliament had been given an opportunity to record his last respects.
“He was Kenya’s second Prime Minister; even parliament has been denied the opportunity to achieve that element, as Raila was an illustrious politician and a prolific debater. It was only befitting that his body lie in state and be captured in parliament for archiving,” Muturi added.
On Wednesday, President William Ruto declared a seven-day mourning period, directing the country’s flags to fly at half-mast.
Raila, who died aged 80 in India, served as a member of parliament from 1992 to 2013. He served as Kenya's second prime minister between 2008 and 2013.
