NAIROBI, Kenya- Kenyans are marking one year since former Prime Minister Raila Odinga died, with his family, political leaders and supporters gathering in Bondo, Siaya County, to remember a figure who shaped the country’s politics for decades.
On Wednesday evening, Raila’s widow, Ida Odinga, led family members, friends and supporters in a candle-lighting ceremony at Kang’o ka Jaramogi, the family home and his burial place.
The gathering included prayers, Scripture readings, gospel music and tributes. Ida urged Kenyans to remember her husband across political and religious divisions.
The family and other mourners are expected to attend the main anniversary memorial at Migwena Cultural Grounds in Bondo on Thursday, October 15.
The programme is scheduled to begin at 7am, a year to the day since Raila died aged 80 while receiving medical treatment in India.
A career that shaped Kenya’s politics
Raila served as Prime Minister from 2008 to 2013 in the coalition government formed after the disputed 2007 election and the violence that followed.
He contested the presidency five times, becoming a central opposition figure and a major force in successive political alliances.
His career also included a role in the country’s constitutional reform process and later service as the African Union’s High Representative for Infrastructure Development.
That record helps explain why his anniversary is being marked beyond his home county.
Raila’s political career was tied to Kenya’s debates over multiparty democracy, constitutional change, power-sharing and national reconciliation.
His supporters remember him as a reformer.
His repeated bids for the presidency also made him one of the most consequential figures in the country’s electoral politics.
Legacy remains part of current politics
The anniversary comes as political leaders continue to invoke Raila’s record and the values he championed.
Organisers have called for the gathering to remain peaceful, while MP Otiende Amollo cautioned politicians against using the memorial to advance political differences.
Raila spent decades in opposition, but also entered government through coalitions and negotiated settlements.
His public life offers both a record of confrontation and a history of compromise.
One year after his death, the memorials recall not only the loss of a prominent political leader but also the unresolved debates that defined his career.
