NAIROBI, Kenya- President William Ruto has urged Kenyans to register as voters and take part in next year’s election, saying doing so would honour Raila Odinga’s fight for political representation.
Ruto made the appeal during Wednesday’s handover of Raila’s mausoleum in Bondo, Siaya County.
He told residents of Siaya and Nyanza that every eligible Kenyan should have a chance to choose their leaders, and linked voter registration to Raila’s long campaign for electoral justice.
The message gave the memorial ceremony a political edge as the country approaches the first anniversary of Raila’s death.
Ruto said people who fail to register or vote would be going against the values Raila championed.
Ruto defends broad-based government
The President also used the ceremony to defend his political cooperation with Raila, describing the broad-based government as a commitment to the country.
Ruto said Raila had chosen national unity during the political crisis of 2024 and had argued that leaders should first safeguard the country before debating who should lead it.
The two leaders signed a 10-point agreement in March 2025, covering issues including implementation of the National Dialogue Committee report, inclusion in governance and protection of devolution.
Ruto presented current government programmes as an extension of Raila’s vision of equitable development.
He cited road and railway projects, affordable housing, health cover and support for older people, farmers and young entrepreneurs.
Among the projects he highlighted were the planned extension of the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha through Kisumu to Malaba, with a station at Yala, and the Isiolo-Mandera highway.
He also said the Government planned to launch a 500-kilometre Lake Victoria ring road before the end of the year.
Mausoleum to become a memorial centre
Ruto said the mausoleum’s five-sided design was intended to represent unity and evoke the ODM “Pentagon” coalition of 2007, which brought together leaders from across the country.
He also linked it to the nearby six-sided mausoleum of Raila’s father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
The handover marks the completion of the first phase of the project.
Ruto said the next phase would include a Raila Memorial Library, Museum and Research Centre, with archives and exhibits on Kenya’s democratic history.
The site is also expected to become a heritage destination, with the Government saying it could attract visitors and create jobs in Siaya and the wider region.
Raila died in India on October 15, 2025, aged 80. He was buried beside his father at Kang’o Ka Jaramogi in Bondo.
