Security was visibly heightened on Sunday morning at Opoda Farm in Bondo, Siaya County, as preparations entered the final stretch to transfer the body of former Prime Minister Raila Amollo Odinga to the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST), the venue of his funeral service.
Armed security officers from the Kenya Defence Forces, the National Police Service, and the National Youth Service were stationed at all entry points leading to Raila’s homestead. The officers maintained a strict perimeter, controlling access as government officials, family members, and religious leaders coordinated the day’s solemn events.
Military vehicles from all three formations lined the driveway leading out of Opoda Farm, awaiting the moment the cortege would begin the short but historic procession to the university grounds, where thousands of mourners have already gathered.
“Security has been reinforced to ensure the event proceeds smoothly and with the dignity befitting a national hero,” a senior officer overseeing operations told SIAYA TODAY on condition of anonymity.
Roads leading from Bondo town to JOOUST were cleared early in the morning to allow the funeral convoy to pass without obstruction. Traffic marshals and military police were deployed along the route to manage the large crowds expected to walk alongside the procession.
At the university, the atmosphere was one of solemn anticipation. Rows of uniformed officers stood ready for the guard of honour, while choirs and clergy rehearsed the final hymns for the state funeral.
The movement of Raila’s body marks the culmination of days of elaborate state and traditional preparations, blending Luo cultural rites with full military honours.
The funeral service, scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m., will bring together national leaders, foreign dignitaries, and thousands of Kenyans from all walks of life — a final farewell to a man whose political life shaped Kenya’s democracy for over four decades.
Thereafter the body will be moved to Kang’o ka Jaramogi, Raila’s ancestral home, where his remains will be interred next to the grave of his late father Ajuma Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
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