A dark theme overshadowed the Kenyan publications for Thursday, October 16, a day after the unforeseen death of Kenya’s arguably most consequential politician, Raila Odinga.
Source: UGC
Raila’s remains were fetched from India by a high-level delegation dispatched by President William Ruto.
1. Daily Nation
The newspaper reported on the shock Kenyans are still reeling from following the death of ODM leader and Kenya’s second prime minister, Raila Odinga.
Even more shocking is how the news came much later, long after the leader had breathed his last.
Now he ought to be buried within 72 hours, as per his specific wishes.
The Nairobi State House is handling the burial arrangements in conjunction with the bereaved family.
Raila’s final wishes were revealed by his lawyer at a meeting held at State House on Wednesday morning, October, just after the confirmation of the death. The meeting was attended by Raila’s elder brother, Senator Oburu Oginga.
However, the challenge was how to keep to the 72-hour wish, given that Raila died outside the country and the repatriation process could affect other arrangements.
But after its first meeting, the state funeral committee, chaired by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, agreed that the time would start counting after the body is brought to the country.
The body is expected to touch down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) Thursday morning, around 9:15 am, October 16.
According to insiders, it was Senator Oginga who called President William Ruto at 7 am on Wednesday to inform him that his younger brother was in a critical condition in a Mumbai hospital.
“He said Raila had been rushed back to hospital,” the newspaper quoted a source.
A few minutes later, another call came in. This time, it was from Raila’s daughter, Winnie Odinga, who phoned the president directly, informing the head of state that the ODM leader had breathed his last.
“She spoke briefly, her voice trembling. She confirmed that something very bad had happened,” the sources added.
Raila, 80, died at Devamatha Hospital in Koothattukulam, Ernakulam district, India, after suffering a heart attack while taking his morning walk, according to police and hospital officials.
He suffered cardiac arrest in the course of his walk. He was rushed to the facility based in Southern India.
The medics established that Raila was diabetic and had chronic kidney problems.
Despite the news having leaked to the public, the president held the news, visited the bereaved family in Karen, and later announced it in a formal proclamation.
2. Taifa Leo
The newspaper covered how the country was thrown into mourning following the demise of Raila Odinga.
The sad news sparked nationwide mourning, with his supporters weeping and singing dirges.
It caused a stir as thousands of Kenyans took to the streets on motorbikes, cars and on foot, carrying tree branches and honking their horns in mourning and chanting in Nairobi, Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, Migori, Kakamega and Kisii and Machakos counties.
In Siaya county, the deceased’s home, youths blocked the Bondo-Kisumu Road singing and crying, saying in the Dholuo language: “Ng’ou olwar jokamaa”, meaning “The fig tree has fallen.”
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Elders from the Sakwa community gathered at Raila’s home in Opoda, Bondo, weeping openly, while others surrounded his house in traditional wails.
“This pain is so intense. Why has death come at this time to take away our brave son? This was our king and the hero of this area,” said John Odira, an elder from Sakwa.
In the city of Kisumu, most businesses were closed by 4:30 am.
Residents poured onto the streets carrying Kenyan flags, tree branches and handkerchiefs, as mourners sang songs of sorrow.
“We as a nation are at a crossroads. We are worried whether the freedom and rights he fought for will continue,” said John Otieno, one of the mourners.
Rosemary Adhiambo, who was weeping bitterly, said:
“Kenyan politics is incomprehensible without Raila. There is no one to fill his place now.”
The Luo Community Elders’ Council, led by Ker Odungi Randa, called on the four Nyanza governors – James Orengo (Siaya), Anyang’ Nyong’o (Kisumu), Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay) and Ochilo Ayacko (Migori) to lead the community peacefully during this difficult time.
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“Today I felt the same pain. When Jaramogi died, I did not cry, but today when Raila died I cried,” said Ker Randa.
In Homa Bay, thousands of citizens held a small procession leading cattle in front of them as a sign of respect for the deceased.
Some carried axes, spears and arrows, traditional symbols of protection against disasters.
The Speaker of the Homa Bay county assembly, Polycarp Okombo, led delegates and leaders in suspending their official sessions in honour of the deceased.
In Kisii, students of the Kisii National Polytechnic walked out of their examination rooms and took to the streets to mourn Raila’s death.
Carrying palm branches, they marched through the city praising him as the, Father of the Nation.
“His death is a great blow to the nation. We will miss him greatly,” said Helen Nyamweya, a young woman from Kisii.
In Western Kenya, some leaders suspended their activities in honour of the deceased.
In Nairobi, residents arrived at Raila’s compound in Karen and took to the streets to mourn. The cries were heard in the city centre as some businesses closed in fear.
With mournful cries, residents of Kibera, known as Raila’s ‘bedroom’, entered Ngong Road, and some walked to Karen to confirm the news of his death, complaining that they were not informed of the truth about his health earlier.
Source: UGC
3. People Daily
The newspaper spared the space for Raila Odinga’s final rites.
President William Ruto declared seven days of national mourning for Raila.
Addressing the nation from State House in Nairobi, accompanied by the deceased’s brother, Siaya senator Oburu Oginga, Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, and other senior government leaders, Ruto said the nation would accord Raila a state funeral with full military honours.
“It is with great sadness and deep sorrow that I inform Kenya, Africa and the entire world of the passing of His Excellency Raila Amolo Odinga. Kenya, Africa and the world have lost a pillar of democracy, a champion of freedom and a tireless advocate for good governance,” Ruto said in his live address.
In the announcement, the president ordered that the national flag be flown at half-mast at all government buildings, military bases and Kenyan embassies around the world from Wednesday until the evening of the funeral.
Top government officials, including the president, deputy president and all ministers, have also been ordered not to use the national flag on their official vehicles during the mourning period.
“Out of respect for Raila Odinga, I have suspended all my public engagements for the coming months to join the nation in this period of grief and reflection,” the president said.
Ruto also announced the formation of a national funeral committee to be jointly chaired by Kindiki and Oburu.
The committee will coordinate all national funeral arrangements.
The government has also sent an official delegation to India to oversee the repatriation of the deceased’s body.
The delegation is led by Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, and Cabinet Secretaries Kipchumba Murkomen (Internal Security) and Hassan Joho (Mining), among others.
It is expected to touch down at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) in Nairobi at minutes past 9 am, Thursday, October 16.
4. The Standard
The Standard dedicated a page to pay tribute to the late Raila Odinga, recognising him for “schooling the nation”, enumerating his contributions in the education sector.
The newspaper observed that Raila’s journey has long been tied to education, shaped by both family and personal experience.
His father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, began as a teacher in Maseno; his mother, Mary Juma Odinga, taught in primary school; and his wife, Ida Odinga, spent her early career teaching English and Literature.
In 1988, while Raila was in exile, Ida was dismissed from Kenya High School and evicted from staff housing under police supervision, a moment that underscored the political cost of their convictions.
Though Raila’s early connection to education was personal, he later became a vocal advocate for reform and access.
Over the decades, he pushed for free university education, decentralised school management, and greater transparency in funding.
His first major institutional effort came in 2006 with the launch of the Raila Odinga Foundation, followed by a KSh 300 million scholarship and mentorship programme in 2012 aimed at supporting talented students from underserved communities.
In 2016, he opened the Raila Education Centre in Kibra, a facility equipped with classrooms, labs, and digital learning spaces to empower youth in informal settlements.
Beyond infrastructure, Raila’s public stance on education policy has shaped national debate. When the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) faced backlash in 2017, he defended it, arguing that it better prepared students for modern careers.
He also backed then Education CS George Magoha in 2021, saying CBC would shift Kenya away from rote learning.
Raila’s vision for free education echoed former president Mwai Kibaki’s 2003 rollout of free primary schooling. During his 2022 presidential bid, Raila pledged to make education free and compulsory from primary to university, funded through budget reforms and anti-corruption efforts.
“No parent should sell land to take a child to college,” The Standard quoted him as having often said, though critics questioned the feasibility of his promise.
His most controversial proposal came in 2025 at the Devolution Conference, where he called for counties to manage primary and secondary schools.
The idea drew sharp criticism from teachers’ unions and education experts, who feared it would erode national standards. Raila had floated a similar plan in 2020, which also met resistance.
Even after his 2022 electoral loss, Raila remained vocal on education matters.
In early 2024, he accused the Ruto administration of withholding capitation funds, warning that public schools were suffering. By 2025, he was still sounding the alarm, claiming schools were being “starved” and that the promise of free education was on the brink of collapse.
Raila will be laid to rest in his native home on Sunday, October 19.
Proofreading by Asher Omondi, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
