The late former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga will be laid to rest beside his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, at the family’s ancestral home in Kang’o ka Jaramogi, Bondo.

His elder brother, Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga, revealed the details of the burial plans on Thursday, confirming that the ceremony would be held privately and attended by a small circle of family and close associates.

“The burial will take place near our father’s mausoleum,” Oburu said, adding that grave digging began at exactly 7:04 p.m. on Thursday evening after he identified the spot himself. The chosen site lies just five metres from Jaramogi’s resting place, underscoring the family’s deep reverence for lineage and continuity.

Although Raila had reportedly expressed a wish to be buried next to his mother, Mary Juma Odinga, who died in 1984, the family opted for a site closer to his father’s grave. According to the funeral programme, the ceremony will take place on Sunday, October 19.

Plans are also underway to construct a separate mausoleum for the late statesman — a gesture that mirrors the honour accorded to his father, Kenya’s first Vice President and a key figure in the country’s independence struggle.

Cultural Traditions and Final Rites

As one of the most revered Luo elders of his time, Raila’s burial will incorporate several traditional rituals meant to honour his life and guide his spirit to the ancestral world.

Among them is Tero Buru, a cleansing ceremony performed both before and after burial. Deeply rooted in Luo custom, it serves to drive away death’s lingering presence, unify the community, and celebrate the life of the departed.

Other rites, led by clan elders, include traditional prayers, libations to honour ancestors, and blessings for the family.

According to Luo tradition, men are typically buried on the right-hand side of the main house, while women are buried on the left. Such customs, elders say, preserve the spiritual order of the homestead.

The Kang’o ka Jaramogi compound, where generations of the Odinga family rest, already holds the graves of several close relatives — including Raila’s eldest son, Fidel Castro Odinga, who died in 2015.

As preparations continue, the atmosphere in Bondo remains heavy with both grief and pride. To many Kenyans, Raila’s burial beside his father symbolises not just the close of a political era but the continuation of a family legacy woven into the nation’s history itself.