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Oburu explains mystery behind Raila’s different coffins in India and Kasarani
02nd November, 2025 10:37 PM
Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga has revealed why there was a visible difference in the coffin that ferried Raila Odinga’s body from India and the one that was used during the public viewing at Kasarani Stadium.
Also Watch: Kenyans overpower security at JKIA, enter KQ plane that carried Raila’s body
Speaking exclusively to a local TV station on Sunday, November 2, 2025, Oburu explained that the change of coffins was necessary.
In India, Oburu Odinga has said, bodies are normally cremated and not buried, and therefore, the coffin boxes used to transport bodies are not ideal for presentation during public viewings or burials.
Oburu on why Raila’s coffins differed
“When we went to the airport to receive the body, I didn’t know the sea of people who were waiting outside,” Oburu said.
“We wanted to ask them to give us time to dress the body. In India, they normally cremate the bodies; they don’t bury. They don’t have good boxes to place the bodies.”
Also Watch: Chaos erupts in Nairobi as mourners force their way into parliament to view Raila Odinga’s body
According to the senator, the family had planned to have a short period of time at Lee Funeral Home or at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to prepare the body before it was transported to Kasarani.
However, the crowd outside the airport made it impossible.
“So we wanted to have a short period of time, either at Lee Funeral Home or at the airport, to put the whole body in order and to dress up,” he said.
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“Someone was convinced that if I spoke to the people and asked them to allow the family to prepare the body, they would listen. But when I said that, the rejection was overwhelming,” Oburu narrated.
He added that due to the tension and the huge number of mourners, the family and funeral directors decided to finalise the preparations at Kasarani itself once the body arrived there.
“We managed to do it, to dress up the body, in Kasarani itself once the body arrived there. You saw some teargas; it was to release the body so that it could be changed from the casket, which came from India. The Lee Funeral people were there, in Kasarani Stadium,” Oburu said.
The senator emphasised that the confusion around the two coffins was not deliberate, but rather a logistical adjustment to ensure the body of the late leader was properly prepared and respectfully presented to the public during the national viewing ceremony.
