President Ruto Unveils Raila Odinga Mausoleum in Bondo

President William Ruto dedicated a new mausoleum for former Prime Minister Raila Amolo Odinga at Kang’o Ka Jaramogi in Bondo, Siaya County, as the nation approaches the first anniversary of Odinga’s death.

The five-sided monument, Ruto explained, embodies unity, togetherness and completeness and evokes the ODM Pentagon that united leaders ahead of the 2007 General Election; “This mausoleum speaks Baba’s language. It is shaped as a pentagon, with five sides,” he said.

Ruto highlighted that the structure stands beside the six-sided tomb of Raila’s father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Kenya’s first Vice-President, describing the pair as symbols of two generations linked by a shared commitment to national transformation.

Emphasising that stone cannot contain Odinga’s legacy, the President argued that true remembrance lies in policies that promote equitable development and cited projects such as the dualling of the Rironi-Mau Summit highway, the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha to Kisumu and Malaba, the planned Isiolo-Mandera highway and the 500-kilometre Lake Victoria ring road.

Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja praised Odinga as a major national figure and personal mentor, noting his reformist stance, advocacy for democracy and influence on younger leaders, and said his contribution should be measured by Kenya’s democratic progress.

Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga, speaking through his son Jaoko Oburu, described the mausoleum as a civic landmark for constitutionalism, freedom and social justice, and defended Odinga’s cooperation with the Kenya Kwanza administration as a family-wide effort to foster unity, stability and development.

The facility is expected to welcome visitors immediately, while a large public memorial service is scheduled for the following week as part of the Mwezi wa Baba commemorations.