Kenya’s long-time opposition leader Raila Odinga was buried in a state funeral in the west of the country on Sunday after days of commemorations attended by tens of thousands.
Odinga died aged 80 on Wednesday in India, sparking an outpouring of grief for a politician who spent years fighting for democracy during the autocratic rule of Daniel arap Moi — a fight that landed him in jail and exile.
Thousands of people crowded into the city of Bondo for the funeral, travelling from all around the country. Military officers saluted as Odinga’s coffin was lowered into the ground and trumpets played the Last Post.
Days of memorials have already caused five deaths in Nairobi — three died on Thursday when police opened fire during an event in a stadium, and at least two more were killed on Friday in a stampede.
Mourner Grace Auma Lubale, 40, told AFP on Sunday that Odinga had taught Kenyans that they must fight for their rights.
“That is why, according to our customs, we had to make sure that we step on the soil where he will be laid to rest, so that our hearts may be contented,” she said.
“And we’ll miss him, but his legacy will remain in us.”
Arguably the most important political figure of his generation in Kenya, Odinga served as prime minister from 2008 to 2013 yet never succeeded in winning the presidency despite five attempts.
But he outlasted many rivals and is credited as a major player in returning Kenya to multi-party democracy in the 1990s.
Source: https://guardian.ng/news/world/africa/kenya-buries-long-time-opposition-leader-raila-odinga/
