Bondo floods with mourners for Raila’s final send-off prayer service

Service venue Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University is parked to capacity

by EMMANUEL WANJALA

News19 October 2025 - 07:54

In Summary

Crowds began streaming into the lakeside town from as far as Nyeri, Eldoret, and Kasipul, with some mourners saying they set off as early as Saturday afternoon to arrive in time for the service.
Many were dressed in orange, the colour of the ODM party that Raila founded and led for years, in a show of solidarity and respect for the man who shaped Kenya’s democratic landscape.

Audio By Vocalize

Kenyans from all walks of life on Sunday morning trooped into the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology in Bondo for the final funeral service of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

The revered opposition leader, who died on Wednesday of cardiac arrest while receiving treatment in India, will be buried later in the day at his Opoda Farm home in Bondo. He was 80.

Crowds began streaming into the lakeside town from as far as Nyeri, Eldoret, and Kasipul, with some mourners saying they set off as early as Saturday afternoon to arrive in time for the service.

Many were dressed in orange, the colour of the ODM party that Raila founded and led for years, in a show of solidarity and respect for the man who shaped Kenya’s democratic landscape.

“Some of us have not eaten since yesterday,” one mourner said, adding that the magnitude of the loss had left many without appetite despite food being provided at the venue.

More than 600 cows have reportedly been donated for slaughter by leaders from across the country, among them Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, to feed the thousands of mourners expected to attend.

Security has been tightened across Bondo, particularly at the university and at the family's graveyard Kang’o Kajaramogi, where Raila will be laid to rest in a private ceremony.

The event is expected to draw high-ranking dignitaries led by President William Ruto, who eulogised Raila as more of a brother than a friend.

Several foreign heads of state are also expected to attend.

On Saturday, residents of Bondo and visitors were given a final chance to view Raila’s body at the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Kisumu before it was airlifted to Bondo for a night vigil at his Opoda Farm.

Raila’s death sparked an unprecedented outpouring of grief across the country, with thousands pouring into the streets waving twigs, singing dirges, and marching in sorrow.

The government declared a seven-day period of national mourning, which enters its fourth day Sunday, during which the national flag will fly at half-mast in honour of the fallen opposition hero.

Raila Amolo Odinga, the son of Kenya’s first Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, was a central figure in the country’s struggle for multiparty democracy.

His political career spanned more than four decades, during which he endured detention, exile and political persecution while fighting for reform.

He served as Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013 under the Grand Coalition government formed after the disputed 2007 elections.

Over the years, Raila built a reputation as a fearless reformist, credited with helping to deliver Kenya’s 2010 constitution and championing causes that gave voice to the marginalised.

Even in his later years, he remained a towering figure in national politics, commanding respect across party lines and continuing to influence major political realignments.

His passing has been described by many as the end of an era in Kenyan politics.