Mourners bid farewell to ex-PM Raila Odinga in his political heartland

Tens of thousands of mourners have gathered in the Kenyan city of Kisumu to pay their respects to the late Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

The 80-year-old’s body is now lying in state in at a stadium in his political heartland following his state funeral, which was held on Friday in the capital, Nairobi – two days after he died at a hospital in India.

Security forces are on high alert following the deaths of at least five people at events held in recent days to mourn Odinga.

“I have come here to mourn an icon of Africa,” one mourner, Dixon Ochieng, told the BBC, while others could be heard to cry out “we are orphans” in their grief.

People of all ages began arriving at the Jomo Kenyatta Stadium in Kisumu before dawn on Saturday to pay their respects.

Many wore orange – the party colour of his Orange Democratic Movement – and waved branches, a traditional symbol of mourning and grief among the Luo ethnic group to which Odinga belonged.

Odinga was the country’s main opposition leader for many years, losing five presidential campaigns – the most recent three years ago. He repeatedly said he was cheated of victory, citing the manipulation of votes.

Following a bloody and disputed 2007 election, he became prime minister in a unity government.

He is regarded as one of the founding fathers of Kenya’s multi-party democracy and has a devotional following in the west of the country.

“I remember him for giving us democracy, for giving me our freedom – and now we can talk and we can say anything that we see is bad for us,” Jacob Omondi told the BBC about Odinga’s impact on the country.

Another mourner, David Ouma, said: “I learned from Raila is to be resilient, because Raila was always a very resilient leader through every election… he still rose to try again to try again.”

Among the dignitaries who have paid tribute to Odinga was former US President Barack Obama, whose Kenyan family is also from the area.

“Raila Odinga was a true champion of democracy. A child of independence, he endured decades of struggle and sacrifice for the broader cause of freedom and self-governance in Kenya,” Mr Obama wrote on X.

“Time and again, I personally saw him put the interests of his country ahead of his own ambitions. Like few other leaders anywhere, he was willing to choose the path of peaceful reconciliation without compromising his core values,” Mr Obama said.

Odinga is expected to be laid to rest on Sunday following a private burial at his farm in Bondo, about 60km (40 miles) west of Kisumu.

According to the family, he wished to be laid to rest within the shortest time possible, ideally within 72 hours.