President William Ruto led the country in laying to rest former Prime Minister Raila Odinga at the family’s mausoleum in Nyamira village in Bondo, Siaya County.
Mr Odinga, 80, was buried at a private ceremony at Kang’o ka Jaramogi beside his father, Independence struggle hero and Kenya’s first Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, on Sunday.
Before lowering his body to the grave, the Kenya Defence Forces gave Mr Odinga a17-gun salute, an honour for a retired head of State or former prime minister.
The burial brought to a close a series of public events to honour his legacy, which began with his death in India last Wednesday.
Earlier, a funeral service was held for him at the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology, where speakers eulogised him as a Kenyan patriot and a committed pan-Africanist.
In his remarks, President Ruto euologised Hon Odinga as a friend and political mentor since he joined Parliament in 1997 as MP for Eldoret North.
“I am very proud that Raila is resting when a man he mentored is the President of Kenya,” the President said.
He added: “It did not matter to me the outcome of the 2022 elections. It was an election between Raila Odinga and his student.”
President Ruto disclosed that he sought for Hon Odinga a few months after the 2022 presidential elections to appreciate him for the sacrifice that he had made for the country, but which have often gone unnoticed.
“I looked for him and explained to him that he had made huge personal and family sacrifices for the nation. I wanted to right whatever wrongs that have been done to him,” he pointed out.
This understanding, said the President, was the foundation of the broad-based government, which saw members of Mr Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party appointed into Cabinet and other senior government positions.
Mr Odinga’s spouse, Mama Idah Odinga, thanked Kenyans and the international community for joining the family in mourning the departed leader.
“I never imagined that this would fall on me to lead the family and the world in burying Raila. I had hoped it would be the other way round,” Mama Ida said in her eulogy.
She thanked President Ruto and the government for giving Mr Odinga a deserving send-off, saying it was the first time Nyanza region was witnessing an event of such magnitude.
“Mr President, my family is grateful to you for being a man of your word and a man who stands with friends after committing to do so,” she said.
President William Ruto said some people had tried to dissuade him from giving Mr Odinga a State funeral with military honours, but he stood his ground insisting that he was the “people’s president” and deserved all the honours accorded to heads of State.
Present were former Presidents Uhuru Kenyatta and Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria, former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka, and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi.
President Obasanjo eulogised Mr Odinga as a true statesman, who put the interests of Kenya and Africa first.
“One thing that I always liked about Raila was his sense of humour. I’ve lost a brother, a friend, a confidant, and a co-worker in the vineyard of Africa,” he said.
Former President Kenyatta urged Kenyans to remember Mr Odinga by carrying forward the ideals he stood for in his lifetime.
“We shall miss you as a friend, a brother, and a leader of this nation. We shall miss your insights, your thoughtfulness, your wisdom, and your laughter,” Mr Kenyatta said.
On the transformation of the country, President Ruto disclosed that he and Mr Odinga had agreed that “Kenya cannot continue to be a Third World country”, saying Kenya must take various steps to take it to a First World status.
Additionally, the President also pointed out that he had sought his predecessor to discuss how to take the country forward and make it a First World nation.
President Ruto assured members of ODM, the party Mr Odinga founded 20 years ago, that he would work to strengthen the party.
“I will not allow anyone to break ODM because Baba believed in political parties and built ODM for 20 years. We will support and keep the party united,” the President pledged.
He said the party would be part of government in 2027, insisting that strong political parties are the foundations of democracy.
Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga, who is the brother of the deceased, thanked President Ruto for facilitating the airlift of Mr Odinga to India for treatment.
“From the time I told you Raila was sick, you and I had a discussion with Raila, and you provided the plane that took him to India,” he disclosed.
President Ruto revealed that he closely monitored Mr Odinga’s health, which had been visibly deteriorating over the past month, before opting to seek medical attention in India.
“We consulted with him often, but the last one and a half months were difficult. Every time I met Raila, his voice was hoarse, and he kept telling me he was weak because he was taking some medication,” he said.
Also at the funeral were Governors James Orengo (Siaya), Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay), Anyang’ Nyong’o (Kisumu), Ochillo Ayacko (Migori), Simba Arati (Kisii), Abdullswamad Nassir Shariff (Mombasa), and Ahmed Abdullahi (Wajir), church leaders and MPs, among others.
