{"id":147339,"date":"2026-07-20T15:02:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-20T15:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/state-backed-raila-odinga-mausoleum-enters-construction-phase-after-site-handover\/"},"modified":"2026-07-20T15:02:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-20T15:02:52","slug":"state-backed-raila-odinga-mausoleum-enters-construction-phase-after-site-handover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/state-backed-raila-odinga-mausoleum-enters-construction-phase-after-site-handover\/","title":{"rendered":"State-backed Raila Odinga Mausoleum enters construction phase after site handover"},"content":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 20 \u2013 Construction of the proposed Raila Odinga Mausoleum has officially begun after the Odinga family handed over the historic Kang\u2019o ka Jaramogi site in Siaya County to the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) for implementation of the state-backed project.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The groundbreaking ceremony, attended by Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya, marked the transition of the project from planning to construction, nearly nine months after the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.<\/p>\n

Odinga, the long-serving Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader, died of cardiac arrest on October 15, 2025, while receiving specialised treatment in India. He was 80.<\/p>\n

In June 2026, the National Museums of Kenya (NMK) formally initiated procurement for the mausoleum, setting aside Sh30 million under Tender No. NMK\/T\/03\/RAO\/MAUS\/2025-2026 to develop the site into a national heritage monument.<\/p>\n

During Monday\u2019s ceremony, family patriarch Oburu Oginga officially handed over the ancestral site to the KDF in the presence of Raila Odinga Junior, who was recently installed as the cultural head of the Odinga family.<\/p>\n

Addressing the gathering, Tuya directed the military engineers to complete the project within two months while assuring the family that the accelerated timeline would not compromise quality.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to give my absolute assurance to the Odinga and Jaramogi families that the quality of this construction will not be compromised despite the fast-tracked timeline. The KDF is fully focused and will deliver on this mandate within the next two months,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Raila Odinga Mausoleum: Circular core, green grounds revealed in design review<\/a><\/p>\n

Tuya also used the occasion to call for national cohesion, warning against divisive politics and ethnic incitement while commending ODM\u2019s role in supporting the broad-based government.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe government will not tolerate individuals spewing hate or stoking negative ethnicity across the country. We commend the ODM party for its selflessness and support for national unity, which will guide Kenya toward becoming a more united and stronger nation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Speaking on behalf of the family, Raila Odinga Junior said the mausoleum would preserve the legacy of his father and serve as a place where future generations could learn about his contribution to Kenya\u2019s political history.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis mausoleum is not only a building, but a place where the story of Baba shall be told for generations to come,\u201d he said. \u201cBaba believed in this country, and he believed this country belongs to all of us.\u201d<\/p>\n

He added that the values his father championed throughout his public life\u2014respect, humility and service\u2014should continue to guide future generations.<\/p>\n

The first phase of the project will see the KDF construct the mausoleum and prepare exhibition spaces for some of Raila Odinga\u2019s personal artefacts, including vehicles associated with his political career.<\/p>\n

The wider redevelopment, to be overseen by the National Museums of Kenya, will also upgrade the adjacent Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Mausoleum and integrate the two memorial sites into a single heritage complex featuring historical galleries, a research library and digital archives documenting the Odinga family\u2019s contribution to Kenya\u2019s independence struggle and democratic evolution.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 20 \u2013 Construction of the proposed Raila Odinga Mausoleum has officially begun after the Odinga family handed over the historic Kang\u2019o ka Jaramogi site in Siaya County to the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) for implementation of the state-backed project. The groundbreaking ceremony, attended by Defence Cabinet Secretary Soipan Tuya, marked the transition […]<\/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-147339","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\/147339","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=147339"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/147339\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=147339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=147339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=147339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}