Kenyans bid farewell to former Prime Minister Odinga in his political stronghold

Tens of thousands of people mourning the death of former Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga stood in front of his open coffin at a stadium in his hometown of Kisumu, many chanting “We are orphans” in their grief.

Dickson Ochieng, one of the mourners, told the BBC: “I came here to mourn an African icon.”

The public viewing of the revered 80-year-old, who died in an Indian hospital on Wednesday, has now ended and his body has been taken to his farm for burial.

His widow, Ida, appealed to those gathered there to grieve in a calm manner to avoid the chaos that led to at least five mourners being killed in other events and dozens injured at Kisumu Stadium earlier.

Odinga has a loyal following in his political stronghold in the country’s west, and before dawn, people, old and young, began arriving in Kisumu, which lies on the shores of Lake Victoria.

It is also the area where Barack Obama’s Kenyan family hails from, and overnight the former US president offered his condolences in X, describing Odinga as a “true champion of democracy”.

“A child of independence, he has endured decades of struggle and sacrifice for the broader cause of freedom and self-government in Kenya.” He said.

Odinga was the country’s main opposition leader for many years, and lost five presidential campaigns, the last of which was three years ago. He repeatedly said that he was cheated out of victory, citing vote tampering.

Following the bloody and disputed 2007 elections, he became prime minister in the national unity government.

“Over and over again, I saw him personally put his country’s interests before his own ambitions,” Obama said. “And like few other leaders anywhere, he was willing to choose the path of peaceful reconciliation without compromising his core values.”

“During his life, Raila Odinga was a role model not only for Kenyans, but throughout Africa and around the world.”

Mourners at Kisumu’s Jomo Kenyatta Stadium couldn’t agree more – and echoed those sentiments loudly.

Jacob Omondi told the BBC about Odinga’s impact on the country during his three-decade career: “I remember him because he gave us democracy, he gave us our freedom – and now we can speak up and say anything we think is bad for us.”

Another mourner, David Ouma, said: “One of the most important lessons I learned from Raila is to be resilient, because Raila has always been a very resilient leader during every election…and he still gets up to try again.”

Many people who gathered at the stadium wore orange – the party color of the Orange Democratic Movement – and waved tree branches, a traditional symbol of mourning and grief among Odinga’s Luo ethnic group.

According to the family, Odinga’s wish was for him to be buried in the shortest possible time, ideally within 72 hours.

He will be buried privately on Sunday at his farm in Obudu in Bondo, about 60 kilometers (40 miles) west of Kisumu.