- A medical superintendent shared his deep sense of honour in participating in the preparation of Raila Odinga’s grave
- Despite the tough, unforgiving ground, Japheth Siome and others used pickaxes and shovels to complete the grave preparation, with some blasting the soil
- Speaking to TUKO.co.ke, he described the task as a meaningful gift to Raila, who dedicated his life to fighting for the rights and freedoms of the people
Former prime minister Raila Odinga will be laid to rest at his ancestral home at Kang’o Ka Jaramogi in Bondo, where the final preparations for his grave are nearing completion.
Source: Facebook
As the nation continues to mourn the loss of the veteran politician, a young man who participated in the act of digging Raila’s grave has shared his feelings of fulfilment and honour in performing this significant task.
Japheth Siome, a medical superintendent at Usigu Sub-County Hospital in Bondo, joined other young men from the area to dig the grave for the fallen political giant.
Siome, alongside others, used a shovel to remove soil from the grave, while others hit the surface with pickaxes.
“Making a permanent residence for the Enigma,” Siome captioned a short video of the moment on Facebook.
Watch the video:
Japheth Siome reflects on the honour of preparing Raila’s grave
Speaking to TUKO.co.ke, Siome expressed the deep sense of gratitude he felt for being part of such a momentous task.
He referred to it as the best gift he could give to a man who devoted his life to fighting for the rights and freedoms of the people.
“The best gift I could give to a man who devoted his life to my fundamental freedom,” Siome said.
The initial stages of the grave preparation were done with the help of an excavator, but due to the hard and unforgiving nature of the ground, manual labour with pickaxes and shovels was needed to complete the task.
Siome explained that the ground was so tough, they had to blast it at certain points.
“It was very hard. It had to be blasted,” he confirmed to TUKO.co.ke.
Details about Odinga Family Cemetery
The Odinga family cemetery at Kang’o Ka Jaramogi is of deep significance, as it is the final resting place for several prominent family members, including Raila’s father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Kenya’s first vice president, who passed away in 1994.
Also buried there are his mother, Mary Odhiambo Odinga (who died in 1984), his son, Fidel Odinga (who passed away in 2015), and his brother Fredrick Odima, who tragically died at the age of 21 in 1971.
What you need to know about Raila’s burial
Did Sam Gituku participate in preparing Raila’s grave?
As reported earlier, Citizen TV journalist Sam Gituku has been at Kang’o Ka Jaramogi for media coverage since the death of Raila.
Source: Instagram
On Friday, October 17, the media personality was deeply moved as young men dug the veteran politician’s grave.
Gituku joined the workers in their efforts, stepping into the grave to contribute to the solemn process.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
