A somber mood engulfed Mumbai, India, on Wednesday night as Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi led a Kenyan delegation to receive the body of the late Raila Odinga, who passed away on October 15 while undergoing treatment at an Ayurvedic hospital.
In a video shared shortly after the delegation’s arrival, members were seen gathered quietly in a waiting lounge, their faces etched with grief as they awaited Raila’s daughter Winnie Odinga and his sister Ruth Odinga. The room was filled with silence, interrupted only by muffled whispers and quiet sobs.
Moments later, Winnie Odinga entered the lounge, dressed in a white blouse and black half-jacket. Her face bore the exhaustion and heartbreak of a grieving daughter. Mudavadi rose to embrace her warmly, whispering words of comfort as other members murmured condolences. Ruth Odinga soon joined them, exchanging subdued greetings with the delegation.
At one poignant moment, Winnie sat beside Mudavadi, the two locked in a hushed conversation that underscored the depth of the loss.
A few hours later, Raila Odinga’s casket draped in the Kenyan flag was brought into the room. In a deeply emotional gesture, Winnie placed her father’s iconic hat atop the casket a powerful symbol of farewell and legacy.
The delegation, which included Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja, Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi, Senator Oketch, and Kikuyu MP Kimani Ichung’wah, stood in solemn silence as the casket was moved to a waiting Kenya Airways (KQ) plane bound for Nairobi.
The body is expected to arrive at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) at 9:30 a.m., where President William Ruto will receive it with full military honors. A national funeral committee, co-chaired by Deputy President Kithure Kindiki and Senator Oburu Odinga, is overseeing preparations for Raila’s state funeral.
