Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka leaves London./SCREENGRAB
Wiper Leader Kalonzo Musyoka has departed London, United Kingdom, to attend the funeral mass of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga on Friday ata Nayayo Stadium.
On October 15, Kalonzo departed the country for the UK in ongoing efforts to strengthen international partnerships and rally the Kenyan diaspora ahead of the 2027 General Elections.
However, barely a day after his departure, Kalonzo departs for Kenya ahead of Raila’s state funeral ceremony on Sunday.
"Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, EGH, SC, CS, has departed from Heathrow International Airport (JKIA), London, United Kingdom, for Nairobi, Kenya. The WPF Leader is expected to arrive at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) on Friday October 17, 2025 at 6:00AM EAT," Zein Abubakar, Head of the SKM Presidential Secretariat said in a statement.
"HE Dr Musyoka will join the family of Prime Minister Rt Hon Raila Amolo Odinga, EGH, friends and Kenyans at the State Requiem Mass, and pay tribute to his friend and compatriot."
A public service is planned for Friday at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi ahead of Raila’s burial at his Opoda Farm in Bondo.
The burial committee, chaired by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Raila’s elder brother Oburu Odinga, was meeting late last evening to finalise the plans.
Necessary preparations began in earnest in Kang’o Kajaramogi.
Raila will be laid to rest next to his mother, Mary Juma, as per his wishes. The mother died on November 5, 1984, while Raila was being detained at Shimo la Tewa Prison, and he never got a chance to pay his last respects.
President Ruto has declared seven days of national mourning following the death of the former Prime Minister.
During the mourning period, the national flag will fly at
half-mast across the country and at all Kenyan missions abroad in honour of the
ODM leader, who passed away in India on Wednesday.
“As a mark
of respect, I have postponed all my public engagements for the coming days to
join the nation in this period of mourning and deep reflection,” Ruto said.
The
President also announced that Raila will be accorded a state funeral, complete
with full honours, in recognition of his immense contribution to Kenya’s
democracy.
A state
funeral is a public ceremony held to honour individuals of national
significance—such as heads of state or other prominent leaders—and often
includes military honours and opportunities for the public to pay their
respects.
A delegation, led by Ida Odinga and Prime Cabinet
Secretary Musalia Mudavadi yesterday flew to India to prepare for the
repatriation of Raila’s body.
Other
members of the delegation included CSs Kipchumba Murkomen (Transport) and
Hassan Joho (Mining), National Assembly Majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah,
Minority leader Junet Mohamed, and family members Jaoko Oburu and Kevin Oginga.
The former Prime Minister, who as opposition leader ran for President five times without success between 1997 and 2022, had suffered a heart attack, the Devamatha Hospital in the southern Indian state of Kerala confirmed.
He was widely seen as a champion of democracy and political reform in Kenya.
From the 1980s he opposed the one-party rule under President Moi, pressed for human rights and endured detention, torture and exile.
In his emotional tribute, Ruto described Raila as “a giant of democracy, a fearless freedom fighter, and a tireless warrior for good governance”.
“Fellow patriots, we have lost a beacon of courage, a tower of principle, and a father of our democracy. Let us come together, as he always urged us to work as rivals, but as brothers and sisters bound by a shared destiny,” he said.
