Hotels record booming business as mourners throng in to watch Raila’s body arrival
By Enock Amukhale, October 16, 2025Hotel and restaurant owners in Vihiga County have recorded booming businesses after tens of thousands of Kenyans thronged their business premises to follow the arrival and public viewing of the remains of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga in Nairobi.
Spot checks in various hotels and restaurants in Vihiga County revealed many Kenyans cited following the event on giant televisions erected in the joints.
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Those who spoke to the media said it is easier for them to follow the proceedings on TV rather than travelling to Nairobi.
“We have those who travelled to Nairobi to welcome the body of the late former prime minister. Those of us who had no bus fare to Nairobi are following the unfolding event through TV in a hotel or restaurant,” Carol Angote, nominated MCA, said.
The business owners have revealed that many people are thronging the joints to catch up with the Baba’s funeral in Nairobi.
“Our business has recorded an improvement due to many Kenyans who want to catch up with the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s arrival and public viewing. We are not thrilled about the death, but we are gaining profits,” Janet Awinja, who owns a hotel in Vihiga, said.
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Benson Orandi, a restaurant owner in Mbale town in Vihiga, reveals that he had sold 10 crates of sodas by 11:00 am, sales he had never recorded before.
The business owners have also thanked media owners for their live TV broadcast, saying it has made many Kenyans follow Raila’s funeral.
Chaos as Raila’s body arrives
There was chaos in Nairobi on Thursday morning, October 16, 2025, as thousands of mourners pushed through security barriers and began scaling the perimeter wall of the Parliament Buildings as they readied for the viewing of the body of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
The body of the late leader is on its way to Parliament from Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), where it arrived earlier in the morning aboard Kenya Airways flight KQ203 from Mumbai, India. The procession is expected to make its way through the city under tight security as thousands await its arrival.
Outside Parliament, tension has been building since dawn. Many mourners began arriving in the CBD as early as 4 am, braving the morning cold to secure a place near the gates. By 9 am, the crowd had grown so large that it stretched past the Kenyatta International Convention Centre and into several adjoining streets.
Some mourners have already climbed onto the Parliament gates and fences, attempting to find a vantage point to witness the arrival of the body. The crowd, waving flags and dressed in orange attire, has been chanting Raila Odinga’s name and singing songs of freedom and remembrance.
Security officers, including members of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF), the General Service Unit (GSU), and regular police, have struggled to control the swelling masses. The mourners, however, insist their intentions are peaceful.