Ruto Declares National Mourning for ‘Baba’ Raila Odinga

NAIROBI, Kenya — The Republic of Kenya is plunged into mourning following the death of former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga, who passed away this morning in India, where he was receiving medical treatment. He was 80 years old.

The solemn news was conveyed to the nation via a Presidential Proclamation issued at State House, Nairobi, by President William Samoei Ruto. The proclamation described the passing of the Right Honourable Raila Amolo Odinga, EGH, as a source of “profound sorrow and the deepest sense of loss.”

A Towering Legacy

Raila Odinga, born on January 7, 1945, was lauded in the proclamation for dedicating his “entire adult life to the service of our nation.” He was remembered as a “renowned Pan-Africanist,” a “tireless champion for social justice,” and a statesman who played a “defining role in shaping Kenya’s modern political history.”

The proclamation highlighted his significant contributions, including his central role in shepherding Kenya into its current constitutional dispensation. It hailed him as a visionary leader whose legacy “will illuminate Kenya’s democratic path for all time.”

His roles included serving as a university lecturer, a Member of Parliament, a Cabinet Minister, the de facto Leader of the Official Opposition, and as the Second Prime Minister of the Republic, a position he held under the 2008 National Accord and Reconciliation Act. Supporters fondly called him “Baba” (“father” in Swahili).

State Funeral and National Mourning

In honour of the former Prime Minister, President Ruto directed and ordered: a period of national mourning from today until sunset on the day of his interment, in testimony of the “highest esteem” in which Kenyans hold his memory.

A State Funeral to be accorded to Prime Minister Raila Odinga, complete with military honours and attendant State protocols.

The flag of the Republic of Kenya shall be flown at half-mast at the State House, all Kenyan diplomatic missions, public buildings, and public grounds, all military bases, posts, and stations, and on all naval vessels of the Republic of Kenya, from today until sunset on the day of his interment.

The national flag shall also not be flown on the official motor vehicles of the President, Deputy-President, and other high-ranking officials until sunset on the day of his interment.

The presidential directive also conveyed sincere sympathy to his “beloved wife, Mama Idah Odinga, and his extended family,” including his children—Rosemary Odinga, Raila Odinga Junior, and Winnie Odinga.

The proclamation concluded with a prayer for the Odinga family to be comforted and a call for his example to be emulated. The Presidential Proclamation was signed by President William Samoei Ruto on the fifteenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two thousand twenty-five.