Raila Odinga’s death: Heroes’ Day to be celebrated as planned Government says

The national government has announced that the National Heroes Day celebrations will continue as planned, even as the country observes the mourning period for Raila Odinga.
Government spokesperson Isaac Mwaura said the celebrations will continue in Kitui County on Monday, October 20
The ceremony comes at a time of mourning announced by President William Ruto in honor of the late Raila

As the nation prepares to bury Raila Odinga in the Bondo area, the government has confirmed that the celebrations of Heroes Day will continue as planned.

President William Ruto speaking during the national funeral of Raila Odinga. Photo: William Ruto.
Source: Twitter

Raila, who is remembered as a fearless fighter for justice and a voice for the people, will be buried tomorrow, Sunday, October 19.

His legacy continues to shape the story of Kenya, and his passing has cast a long shadow across the country.

Despite the mourning, the government says Heroes’ Day, a day set aside to honor Kenyan heroes, will still be held 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 for reflection, the main event will go ahead in full, paying tribute to Raila and other national heroes.

How did Kenya mourn Raila Odinga?

The President announced that Kenyans will observe seven days of mourning in honor of the second prime minister of Kenya.

During the mourning, the national flag will fly at half-mast in all designated institutions and centers in the country and Kenyan missions abroad.

At the same time, government officials were prevented from flying the national flag on their vehicles.

“The nation will observe a period of national mourning from today until the sunset of the day of his burial. Prime Minister Raila Odinga will be given a State Funeral, with military honors and government protocols being given and observed,” the announcement read in part.

“That the flag of the Republic of Kenya shall be flown at half-mast in the State House and all embassies of Kenya, public buildings and public squares, all military bases, stations and stations on all naval ships of the Republic of Kenya, and in any other place throughout the territory of the Republic of Kenya, from today until sunset on the day of his interview; by the deputy president, deputy president. justice, Cabinet secretaries, Speaker of the National Assembly, Speaker of the Senate, Kenyan diplomats abroad, and anyone else who is authorized by law, will not fly the national flag on their official vehicles from today until sunset on the day of his burial,” it added.

Who is given a state funeral in Kenya?

State funerals in Kenya are reserved for prominent people who have served the nation with exceptional results in various fields of national importance.

This includes current or former heads of state, respected professionals such as academics, religious leaders, environmentalists, medical experts, technicians, and renowned musicians who die of natural causes.

The ceremonies are held in public and usually coincide with an official holiday to honor the deceased.

They follow strict religious and military traditions, which mark the grandeur of the occasion.

So far, only eight people have received this honour: founding president Mzee Jomo Kenyatta (1978), former vice president Kijana Wamalwa (2003), Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai (2011), former first lady Lucy Kibaki (2016), second president Daniel Moi (2020), third president Mwai Kibaki (2022), former head of defense forces of Francis Kima Kima (2022); Ogola. Mukami was the wife of Mau Mau freedom fighter Dedan Kimathi.