- The widow of political legend Raila Odinga, Ida Odinga, has spoken about her husband’s death and how the family was surprised by some of the information that emerged later
- While some Kenyans expected Raila’s family to know about his wish to be buried within 72 hours, Ida said that was not the case for them.
- Receiving Raila’s memorabilia was not the only sadness, as Ida also fondly remembered the good times she shared with her late husband.
The widow of the prominent political leader opened up about the deceased’s request Raila Odinga to be buried within 72 hours of his death.
Source: Instagram
Many Kenyans are still mourning the death of the former Prime Minister, which happened on October 15, 2025.
The politician died while receiving treatment in India, accompanied by his bodyguard Maurice Ogeta, his sister Ruth, and his daughter Winnie Odinga. Winnie revealed that her father died in the morning while she was exercising.
Later, Kenyans were informed that the late politician had expressed his desire to be buried within 72 hours of his death.
The news left many in shock, including even his family members. His widow, while speaking during the ceremony to receive his memories, recalled the times they spent together.
Ida revealed that they had been married for 52 years, and her greatest joy in life was being Raila’s wife.
“Books have come in abundance. Thank you very much. It is a great honor to have you here because we did not know that other people outside our circle were thinking of us and remembering Mr. Raila Odinga a lot. Perhaps I should tell you a little something about him. Of course I am his wife. We have been married for 52 years. Most of you here are younger than 52 years. We have had good times and difficult times. Much has been said in public. Being Raila’s wife was a very happy thing. That is the big thing more that happened in my life. We had four children together. He was very close to his family. Now the leader of the family is gone, and all we can do is carry on his legacy, the dreams he had for the family,” he said.
Ida thanked the Kenyans who sent their condolences to the family after the death of her husband.
“Out there, I know thousands, maybe millions, have sent us their condolences. Others came personally, and I am grateful to them. Our ambassadors in various countries, thank you for opening our embassies so that other people can come to give us condolences,” he said.
However, he noted that the family was surprised to discover that Raila had asked to be buried within 72 hours.
“There are still many things to be done. In fact, we did not expect Raila to die at this time. It came to us as a surprise. The next surprise was that he asked to be buried within 72 hours. I do not know when he wrote his will to be buried within 72 hours—whether he wrote it in Kenya or elsewhere. But 72 hours is a very short time. You know how funerals in Kenya are,” he added.
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