- The national government has announced that the Mashujaa Day national celebrations will continue as planned even as the country observes a period of mourning for Raila Odinga
- Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said the celebrations will go on in Kitui County on Monday, October 20
- The fete comes amid the period of mourning declared by President William Ruto in honour of the late Raila
As the nation prepares to lay Raila Odinga to rest in Bondo, the government has confirmed that Mashujaa Day celebrations will go on as planned.
Raila, remembered as a fearless champion of justice and a voice for the people, will be buried tomorrow, Sunday, October 19.
His legacy continues to shape Kenya’s story, and his passing has cast a deep shadow across the country.
Despite the mourning, the government says Mashujaa Day, a day set aside to honour Kenya’s heroes, will still take place on Monday, October 20, at Ithookwe Stadium in Kitui County.
While side events like Energy Week and the Media Breakfast have been postponed to allow space for reflection, the main ceremony will proceed in full, paying tribute to Raila and other national heroes.
Raila was accorded a state funeral with all the honours befitting a national leader.
Source: Getty Images
President William Ruto declared this in an official proclamation on Wednesday afternoon, October 15, the day Raila died.
How Kenya will mourn Raila Odinga?
The president declared that Kenyans will observe seven days of mourning in honour of Kenya’s second prime minister.
In the course of the mourning, the national flag will fly at half-mast at all the designated institutions and installations both in the country and Kenyan missions beyond the borders.
Meanwhile, government bureaucrats were barred from flying the national flag on their vehicles.
“The nation will observe a period of national mourning from today until sunset of the day of his interment. That prime minister Raila Odinga shall be accorded a State Funeral, with military honours and the attendant State protocols being rendered and observed,” the proclamation read partly.
“That the flag of the Republic of Kenya shall be flown at half-mast at State House and all Kenyan diplomatic missions, public buildings and public grounds, all military bases, posts, and stations on all naval vessels of the Republic of Kenya, and however elsewhere throughout the entire territory of the Republic of Kenya, from today until sunset on the day of his interment; and that the president, the deputy-president, the prime Cabinet secretary, the chief justice, Cabinet secretaries, the Speaker of the National Assembly, the Speaker of the Senate, Kenya’s diplomats abroad, and whomsoever else is so authorised by law, shall not fly the national flag on their official motor vehicles from today until sunset on the day of his interment,” it added.
Who is given a state funeral in Kenya?
State funerals in Kenya are reserved for distinguished individuals who have served the nation with exceptional impact in various spheres of national importance.
This includes current or former heads of state, respected professionals such as scholars, religious leaders, environmental champions, medical experts, artisans, and iconic musicians who pass away from natural causes.
The ceremonies are held publicly and typically accompanied by an official holiday to honour the deceased.
They follow strict religious and military traditions, which connotes the solemnity of the occasion.
To date, only eight people have received this honour: founding president Mzee Jomo Kenyatta (1978), former vice president Kijana Wamalwa (2003), Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai (2011), former first lady Lucy Kibaki (2016), second president Daniel Moi (2020), third president Mwai Kibaki (2022), Field Marshal Mukami Kimathi (2023), and former chief of defence forces Francis Ogolla. Mukami was the spouse of Mau Mau freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
