Curtains Fall as Ex-Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga is Buried

The final chapter of Raila Amolo Odinga’s remarkable life closed on Sunday, October 19, 2025, as the former prime minister was laid to rest at his family home in Kang’o Ka Jaramogi, Bondo, Siaya County. The burial, held in a private ceremony attended by President William Ruto, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, close family members, friends, and military officers, marked the end of mourning that united the country. Seventeen shots from the military echoed through the quiet air as a final salute to a man whose influence shaped Kenya’s political landscape for more than four decades. He was laid to rest with his iconic hat and fly whisk, symbols of his authority and identity, placed beside him in the grave. Church leaders led the brief ceremony, marked by hymns, prayers, and a moment of silence that lasted one minute in honour of the late statesman. Raila was buried beside his mother, Mary Ajuma Odinga, as per his wish, in the family compound that also holds the graves of his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, and his son, Fidel Castro Odinga. Kang’o Ka Jaramogi, now a place of deep national reflection, carries the weight of Kenya’s political history. The homestead, which houses the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Mausoleum, tells the story of struggle, sacrifice, and service. Generations of the Odinga family rest there, each representing a chapter in Kenya’s long journey toward democracy.