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By Emmanuel Garjiek
Kenya’s former Prime Minister and prominent opposition leader, Raila Odinga — affectionately known as Baba — who died in India two days ago, has arrived at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport on Thursday. His arrival was met by a massive crowd, marking the beginning of the seven-day national mourning period declared by President William Ruto in honor of a leader who championed democracy in Kenya for decades.
The aircraft carrying the remains of the late Odinga landed at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport at 10 a.m. As the coffin touched the ground, thousands of Kenyans sang the national anthem, waved flags, and chanted his name in tribute, calling him Baba.
A Lifetime of Political Battles
Raila Odinga, who passed away at the age of 80 after a suspected heart attack during a walk with his family and doctor in India, was one of Kenya’s most influential and enduring political figures.
The son of the late Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, he rose to prominence as a key advocate for multiparty democracy in the 1990s, enduring years of detention without trial for his activism.
Odinga’s political career was defined by perseverance — he ran for president five times, most recently in 2022, but never succeeded. Each loss was fiercely contested, most notably the disputed 2007 election that sparked deadly unrest and led to a power-sharing deal that made him Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013.
A Legacy That Transcends Politics
Respected across the political spectrum, Odinga is remembered as a steadfast patriot who dedicated his life to Kenya’s progress.
President William Ruto, his longtime rival, declared a week of national mourning, ordering flags to fly at half-mast and describing Odinga’s death as “a profound and immeasurable loss.”
After his 2022 election defeat, Odinga surprised many by joining Ruto’s “broad-based” government — a move he defended as vital for preserving national unity and stability.
His body will lie in state at Parliament for public viewing before a national funeral on Friday. He will then be taken to his ancestral home in Bondo for burial on Sunday.
