{"id":123281,"date":"2025-10-17T12:09:47","date_gmt":"2025-10-17T12:09:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/index.php\/2025\/10\/17\/ruto-mourners-honour-raila-with-emotional-rendition-of-jamaica-farewell\/"},"modified":"2025-10-17T12:09:47","modified_gmt":"2025-10-17T12:09:47","slug":"ruto-mourners-honour-raila-with-emotional-rendition-of-jamaica-farewell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/ruto-mourners-honour-raila-with-emotional-rendition-of-jamaica-farewell\/","title":{"rendered":"Ruto, mourners honour Raila with emotional rendition of \u2018Jamaica Farewell\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 17 \u2014 A rare and deeply emotional moment unfolded at the Nyayo National Stadium on Friday when President William Ruto led thousands of mourners in singing \u201cJamaica Farewell,\u201d the late Raila Odinga\u2019s favourite song by legendary American singer Harry Belafonte.<\/strong><\/p>\n

As the soft, nostalgic melody filled the air, the crowd \u2014 including foreign dignitaries, regional leaders, and citizens from across the country \u2014 joined the President in song, their voices blending in tribute to a man whose life and struggle defined Kenya\u2019s democratic journey.<\/p>\n

\u201cFellow mourners, one of the Honourable Raila Odinga\u2019s favourite songs was \u2018Jamaica Farewell\u2019 by Harry Belafonte \u2014 a melody of longing and gentle sorrow. He often broke into a dance, and with a big smile, sang along,\u201d President Ruto said, before pausing as the familiar tune began to play.<\/p>\n

Visibly moved, the President sang the opening lines of the song alongside the gathered crowd, drawing applause and emotion from the audience.<\/p>\n

As the song played, mourners \u2014 including Mama Ida Odinga, the Odinga family, visiting heads of state, and Kenyan leaders from across the political divide \u2014 stood in solemn reflection.<\/p>\n

When the chorus, \u201cDown the way where the nights are gay, and the sun shines daily on the mountain top\u2026\u201d echoed through the stadium, many waved Kenyan flags while others held hands, some visibly overcome with emotion as they sang along to the hauntingly beautiful lyrics.<\/p>\n

Ruto said the song\u2019s message of farewell and homecoming resonated deeply with Raila\u2019s life and legacy, describing him as a man who had \u201csailed many seas for the sake of his country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, those words ring with profound meaning. Our elder statesman, the Honourable Raila, is sailing not to Jamaica, but to a home beyond. He will not be back with us for many a day,\u201d Ruto said.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on Raila\u2019s enduring spirit, the President described him as a man whose heart \u201cbelonged to the people.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe gentleman we are bidding farewell to today gave more to this country than most ever could. He endured years of imprisonment, exile, and political struggle \u2014 not for the privilege of power, but for the principle of service,\u201d Ruto said. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe bore the scars of his struggles with dignity and turned pain and suffering into purpose.\u201d<\/p>\n

The President\u2019s tribute portrayed Raila as both a reformer and a humanist \u2014 a leader at ease in the humblest of homes and on the grandest of global stages.<\/p>\n

\u201cBaba has finished his race. He has kept the faith. He has served his people and humanity,\u201d Ruto declared.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is our solemn prayer to Almighty God that the soil of the land he so tirelessly served shall embrace him with grace \u2014 that the nation he sacrificed for shall eternally cherish his memory, and that the people for whom he fought shall carry his dream forward.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 17 \u2014 A rare and deeply emotional moment unfolded at the Nyayo National Stadium on Friday when President William Ruto led thousands of mourners in singing \u201cJamaica Farewell,\u201d the late Raila Odinga\u2019s favourite song by legendary American singer Harry Belafonte. As the soft, nostalgic melody filled the air, the crowd \u2014 including […]<\/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-123281","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\/123281","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=123281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123281\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}