{"id":123163,"date":"2025-10-15T17:03:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-15T17:03:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/10\/15\/china-russia-mourn-raila-as-kenya-sets-burial-plan-in-motion\/"},"modified":"2025-10-15T17:03:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-15T17:03:09","slug":"china-russia-mourn-raila-as-kenya-sets-burial-plan-in-motion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/china-russia-mourn-raila-as-kenya-sets-burial-plan-in-motion\/","title":{"rendered":"China, Russia mourn Raila as Kenya sets burial plan in motion"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 15 \u2014 China and Russia have joined the growing list of global powers paying tribute to former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who passed away on Wednesday in Kochi, India, where he had been undergoing treatment.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Odinga\u2019s death at the age of 80 has reverberated across Africa and the world, drawing messages of sympathy from leaders, diplomats, and citizens who hailed him as a visionary reformist, a symbol of democratic resilience, and a steadfast Pan-Africanist.<\/p>\n

In Nairobi, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan expressed Beijing\u2019s deep sorrow at the news, describing Odinga as \u201can old friend of the Chinese people\u201d who played a vital role in fostering strong ties between China and Kenya.<\/p>\n

\u201cDeeply saddened by the passing of former Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga,\u201d Ambassador Guo said in a statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs an old friend of the Chinese people, he made significant contributions to advancing China\u2013Kenya relations and promoting friendly exchanges between our two nations. Our sincere condolences to his family. May he rest in peace.\u201d<\/p>\n

Odinga, who visited China several times over his decades-long career, was instrumental in strengthening Nairobi\u2013Beijing cooperation, particularly during his tenure as Prime Minister between 2008 and 2013 \u2014 a period that saw major infrastructure partnerships take root under Kenya\u2019s Vision 2030 development framework.<\/p>\n

\u2018Outstanding Kenyan\u2019<\/h2>\n

From Moscow, the Embassy of the Russian Federation in Kenya also issued a heartfelt condolence message, describing Odinga as an \u201coutstanding and respected Kenyan and African statesman.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Embassy of Russia extends its heartfelt condolences on the passing of the Rt. Hon. Raila Amolo Odinga \u2014 an outstanding and respected Kenyan and African statesman and political leader,\u201d the statement read.<\/p>\n

\u201cA true veteran of Kenyan politics who dedicated his life to building his country\u2019s national unity, democracy, and good governance. The Rt. Hon. R. Odinga is an inspiring example of selfless service to the nation. Our thoughts are with his family and the people of Kenya.\u201d<\/p>\n

The twin messages from Beijing and Moscow underline Odinga\u2019s stature as a continental figure whose influence extended well beyond Kenya\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n

Both China and Russia maintained longstanding relations with Odinga, who often emphasized Kenya\u2019s strategic non-alignment and the importance of balanced partnerships with global powers.<\/p>\n

Following the announcement of his passing, President William Ruto declared a seven-day period of national mourning, with flags flying at half-mast across the country.<\/p>\n

The President also announced that the Government of India had offered to facilitate and cover the repatriation of Odinga\u2019s remains to Kenya.<\/p>\n

A high-level delegation led by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi \u2014 and including Cabinet Secretaries Kipchumba Murkomen (Transport) and Hassan Joho (Mining and Blue Economy), as well as parliamentary leaders and members of the Odinga family \u2014 has been dispatched to India to oversee the process.<\/p>\n

President Ruto confirmed that Odinga will be accorded a State Funeral with full honors, describing him as \u201ca giant of democracy, a fearless freedom fighter, and a tireless warrior for good governance.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 15 \u2014 China and Russia have joined the growing list of global powers paying tribute to former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga, who passed away on Wednesday in Kochi, India, where he had been undergoing treatment. Odinga\u2019s death at the age of 80 has reverberated across Africa and the world, drawing messages […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123163","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123163","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123163"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123163\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123163"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123163"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123163"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}