President William Ruto, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi during funeral of the late Raila Odinga
BY Kimberly Kalusi
The burial of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in Bondo, Siaya County, on Sunday turned into a powerful reflection on his political legacy, with Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leaders vowing to keep his party alive and united amid uncertainty about its future.
As thousands gathered at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology to bid farewell to the veteran opposition leader, tributes from across the political divide mixed with passionate pledges from his closest allies to safeguard the ideals he championed for decades.
Suna East MP Junet Mohamed struck a defiant tone, dismissing suggestions that ODM would crumble without Odinga’s leadership. “I have seen people on social media saying I am a political orphan. But here I have seen we are many. I will have the courage to be their chairman,” Junet said, drawing cheers from mourners.
He pledged to protect the movement’s independence, warning against alliances that had previously undermined Odinga. “ODM will hold it high, we will keep it strong. In 2027, it will either form the government or be in a coalition that forms government — but not with those who abused Raila when he was alive,” he said.
Governor Simba Arati of Kisii County also offered a glimpse into Odinga’s final days, recounting how President William Ruto intervened to facilitate the former Prime Minister’s evacuation for treatment in India.
“After meeting with the President, he told me, ‘We cannot gamble with the life of our brother Raila Odinga. I’m giving a plane tomorrow to take Raila to India,’” Arati said, adding that Ruto’s gesture showed humanity beyond politics.
While President Ruto, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, and Nigerian statesman Olusegun Obasanjo paid glowing tributes to Odinga as a patriot and reformist, it was the emotional appeals from ODM’s inner circle that underscored the deep sense of political transition now gripping the party.
ODM Secretary-General Edwin Sifuna reaffirmed that the movement would remain true to Odinga’s vision of justice, democracy, and devolution. “We have lost our compass, but not our direction,” Sifuna said. “ODM will not die — it will be the home that Baba built.”
The party’s National Executive Committee has since appointed Dr. Oburu Oginga, Raila’s elder brother, as acting party leader as discussions on succession continue.
Odinga’s interment, carried out according to his wish to be buried within 72 hours of his death, marked the close of an extraordinary week of national mourning. The former Prime Minister died on October 15 in Kochi, India, where he had been receiving treatment. His body was repatriated two days later and honoured with a state funeral at Nyayo Stadium before being laid to rest at his rural home.
Even in death, Raila Odinga’s political influence loomed large. The unity — and tension — on display in Bondo reflected the central role he played in shaping Kenya’s modern political identity. As ODM faces its post-Raila era, one message from Bondo was clear: his movement may have lost its leader, but not its purpose.
