Plan for Raila’s body to stay at Karen home overnight called off
The Funeral Committee of the late Prime Minister Raila Odinga has announced that his body will be preserved at Lee Funeral Home ahead of the public viewing on Saturday, October 18, 2025.
This cancellation is against the earlier plans that the body would stay at his home, Karen, before being taken to Kisumu Mamboleo for public viewing in his turf ahead of the Sunday, October 19, 2025, burial ceremony.
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In a statement released on Friday, October 17, 2025, by the ODM Party, the change has been necessitated by the ongoing public viewing of the body, expected to take longer, and therefore, Raila will be taken to Lee Funeral Home for preparation to be airlifted.
“The National Funeral Committee wishes to announce to the public that due to unavoidable circumstances, the body of HE the late Hon. Raila Odinga will not be taken to his Karen residence for overnight stay as earlier planned,” the statement read.
“Instead, after public viewing that is currently going on at the Nyayo National Stadium, it will be taken back to the Lee Funeral Home for preservation in readiness for airlifting to Kisumu tomorrow (Saturday 18/10/2025) morning. We apologize for the inconvenience caused.”
The National Funeral Committee, co-chaired by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, revised the schedule to accommodate preservation needs and ensure a smooth transition to the next phase of the burial events.
A regional memorial service will be held at Jomo Kenyatta Grounds, Kisumu, with expected attendance from governors, MPs, and citizens from the Nyanza region.
The cortege will then proceed to Bondo, Siaya County, for the final burial ceremony at the Odinga family’s Opoda farm.
The former ODM leader and father of devolution is expected to be buried in the family’s graveyard in Kango Ka Jaramogi, beside his late son Fidel and father Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s graves.
The burial ceremony will include military honors, religious rites, and tributes from family, friends and international dignitaries.
The late Raila, a veteran opposition leader, had expressed a wish to be laid to rest within 72 hours of his passing.
While logistical constraints have slightly adjusted that timeline, the government and family have worked to honor his final wishes.
This update comes amid a week of national mourning following Raila’s death in India.
