The government has declared Friday, October 17, 2025, a public holiday to honour the late former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga.
In a special gazette notice issued by the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, the declaration was made under Section 3 of the Public Holidays Act, giving Kenyans across the country an opportunity to reflect on Odinga’s life and legacy.
“It is notified for the general information of the public that in exercise of the powers conferred by section 3 of the Public Holidays Act, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration declares that Friday, the 17th October, 2025, shall be a public holiday in honour of the departed former Prime Minister, the Rt. Hon. Raila Amollo Odinga,” the notice read.
The announcement comes as the country continues to mourn the opposition leader who died earlier this week in India. The public holiday will allow citizens to celebrate his political journey and his contribution to Kenya’s democracy and governance.
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, who chairs the National Funeral Committee, said Raila Odinga will be buried on Sunday, October 19, following his wish to be laid to rest within 72 hours after his death.
“We have been advised as a committee by the family that it was the wish of Raila to be buried as soon as possible, and the family has informed us that the timeline is 72 hours,” Kindiki stated.
Odinga’s body will arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 9:30 a.m. and will be received by President William Ruto together with family members before being transferred to Lee Funeral Home.
While the 72-hour period technically ends on Saturday, Kindiki said logistical considerations, including the repatriation process, led to adjustments in the burial schedule.
The body will lie in state at Parliament Buildings from 12 noon to 5 p.m. to allow the public to pay their last respects before returning to Lee Funeral Home in the evening.
A state funeral service will be held at Nyayo Stadium on Friday, beginning at 8:00 a.m. The body will later be moved to Odinga’s Karen residence for an overnight stay.
“On Saturday, the body will leave Nairobi for Kisumu and there will be a public viewing of the body at Moi Stadium from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.,” Kindiki said. Afterward, the body will travel to Bondo for an overnight stay before the burial ceremony on Sunday at Kango Ka Jaramogi in Nyamira, Bondo, where he will be laid to rest beside his father Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and son Fidel.
A cardiologist at Devamatha Hospital in Kochi, India, confirmed that Raila Odinga had been battling multiple health complications before his death. Dr Sister Alphons said Odinga suffered from diabetes, hypertension, chronic kidney disease, and a deep vein thrombosis in his right leg.
“He was brought to our emergency medicine department with the history of a sudden collapse during his morning walk. His doctor and security team had already initiated CPR before arrival,” she said.
“Upon arrival, we continued active CPR, performed emergency intubation to secure the airway, and transferred him to the ICU with full medical support,” Dr Alphons added, noting that he had no pulse or blood pressure at the time of admission.