NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 18 \u2014 The body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga arrived at his Opoda farm in Bondo on Saturday evening for an overnight stay after a day of public viewing in Kisumu, setting the stage for a State burial on Sunday expected to draw thousands, including local and international dignitaries.<\/p>\n
Odinga died on Wednesday in India, and his remains were repatriated to Nairobi on Thursday, <\/strong>arriving at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport aboard a Kenya Airways flight designated RAO001 in his honour, before being escorted to public events that drew vast crowds.<\/p>\n Thursday\u2019s Nairobi farewell at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani, turned chaotic when a surge and clashes broke out around restricted areas. Four people were shot dead amid the turmoil, with several others injured as police struggled to contain the crush. The public viewing was initially scheduled to Parliament but was changed at the last minute for security reasons after hundreds breached security at the National Assembly.<\/p>\n On Friday, a State funeral service was held at Nyayo Stadium in Nairobi. Later, as mourners pressed towards viewing points near Gate Five, a stampede left two people dead and scores injured. Emergency responders, including M\u00e9decins Sans Fronti\u00e8res (MSF) East Africa, treated the injured at the scene and referred others to hospital.<\/p>\n On Saturday, the body was airlifted to Kisumu, then transferred by helicopter to Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium (Mamboleo) for public viewing.<\/p>\n For hours in Kisumu, thousands\u2014young and old, many in sombre colours\u2014filed past the casket, some weeping openly, others standing in silence with portraits and miniature flags. Organisation at the stadium was widely credited to youth volunteers working alongside security officers to manage queues and decongest pressure points.<\/p>\n Speaking earlier at the family home, Raila\u2019s widow, Ida Odinga urged a peaceful farewell: \u201cLet us honour his legacy with peace, not just in these days of mourning, but in how we move forward as a country.\u201d<\/p>\n Leaders from across the political spectrum continued to arrive in Siaya, paying respects in rituals that reflected their regions and cultures. Among them was Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, who led a delegation that presented herds of cattle to the Odinga family.<\/p>\n The Kalenjin Council of Elders accompanied by Governors, MPs and senior government officials from the region, also presented 80 bulls in honour of Odinga. <\/p>\n Local elders, spiritual leaders and citizens from all walks of life converged on Bondo ahead of Sunday\u2019s rites.<\/p>\n Security agencies said arrangements in Bondo cover crowd management, traffic flow and medical support. Access to the Odinga homestead was restricted to family and close relatives, with members of the public directed to a designated area within the compound for viewing and prayers.<\/p>\n The State burial is scheduled for Sunday in Bondo. Mourners have been urged to follow guidance from security and medical teams and to allow priority access for the elderly and persons with disabilities.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NAIROBI, Kenya Oct 18 \u2014 The body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga arrived at his Opoda farm in Bondo on Saturday evening for an overnight stay after a day of public viewing in Kisumu, setting the stage for a State burial on Sunday expected to draw thousands, including local and international dignitaries. Odinga died […]<\/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-123337","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\/123337","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=123337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123337\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}