NAIROBI, Kenya — As the nation approaches the climax of the late Raila Odinga’s farewell ceremonies, Nyayo National Stadium stands transformed into the epicenter of Kenya’s mourning.
Thousands of Kenyans poured into the venue early on Friday to attend the official state funeral service, while security, protocol, and cultural dramas unfolded around them.
By dawn, queues formed outside the stadium gates, tightly screened by police and military personnel. Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, who chairs the state funeral committee, confirmed that the service would begin at 9:00 a.m., and attendees were expected to be seated by 8:30 a.m.
The funeral is slated to run for two hours, featuring full military honours, an Anglican Church sermon, eulogies, and tributes from Kenyans and international dignitaries.
Top government and opposition figures were present. Among them were President William Ruto, former President Uhuru Kenyatta, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, Deputy Speaker Gladys Boss Shollei, MPs and senators from across party lines, and foreign envoys from East Africa, Africa, and beyond.
Earlier that morning, the body of the late opposition leader was transferred from Parliament, where it lay in state, to Nyayo Stadium under solemn military escort.
After the state event, the public viewing of Odinga’s remains is scheduled to open at 12:00 noon, and authorities say it will be extended as long as possible so more mourners may pay their respects.
While the country prepares for final sendoffs, the High Court on Thursday dismissed a legal petition seeking to halt the burial on the grounds that it violated Luo customs.
The petition’s applicant, Michael Onyango Otieno, had argued that the accelerated 72-hour burial window denied the deceased’s community key rituals, such as tero yuak, a traditional public mourning ceremony.
Justice Chacha Mwita found that the petitioner failed to show urgency or sufficient evidence to support a judicial intervention at this stage. He ruled that the burial arrangements may proceed as planned, while scheduling further hearings on the substantive challenge for October 23, 2025.
The court’s decision ensures that state funeral preparations remain on course, even as cultural voices call for a more measured, tradition-respecting approach to the burial process.
Inside Nyayo, the air is thick with grief, pageantry, and political symbolism. Supporters waving flags and portraits have filled the stands and terraces. Outside, streets around the stadium are closed and heavily diverted, and security is tight to prevent disorder as witnessed during earlier ceremonies.
As Kenya mourns, Nyayo Stadium is the stage on which history and politics converge. The events of today are not only farewell to a leader but a barometer for how the nation will do justice — in death and in legacy — to a man who defined its modern politics.
