Raila’s state funeral at Nyayo Stadium to last for 2 hours
Raila's state funeral at Nyayo Stadium to last for 2 hours
Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has announced that the State Funeral for the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga will take place at the Nyayo National Stadium on Friday, beginning at 9 a.m., and will last for two hours.
Kindiki, who chairs the National Committee for the State Funeral of Raila Odinga, said the ceremony will feature full military honours, a church sermon led by the Anglican Church of Kenya, eulogies from the family, and tributes from national and international leaders.
“The committee is grateful to the thousands of mourners who continue to mourn him in dignity and request calm and order as the mourning period gets into the second day tomorrow,” Kindiki announced at his Karen residence on Thursday.
“There will be a State Funeral service at Nyayo Stadium beginning at 9 a.m. Guests are required to be settled by 8 a.m. The two-hour State event will comprise military honours, a church sermon from the Anglican Church of Kenya, eulogy by family, and speeches by leaders and foreign heads of state and government.”
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The DP pointed out that a public viewing of Raila’s body will continue after the State event, which may run through to the afternoon, to allow more Kenyans to pay their last respects.
“There will be a public viewing of the remains of Raila Odinga after the State event, and therefore those who want to continue mourning our departed leader have no cause to worry. We will stretch the opportunity from around 12 noon to as far as possible to give the highest number of mourners an opportunity to mourn and pay last respects to their departed leader,” Kindiki said.
The Deputy President confirmed that several foreign dignitaries and heads of state had already confirmed attendance at the funeral ceremony.
On Thursday, mourners were allowed to view Raila’s body from around 2:30 pm at the Kasarani Stadium.
Kindiki had announced that public viewing of Raila’s body would begin on Thursday from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., but chaos erupted, leading to a delay as the mourners turned up in large numbers.
The viewing was set to be at Parliament, but it was later moved to the Kasarani Stadium.
The family and government have since appealed for calm and dignity throughout the mourning period, as preparations for the final journey of one of the most influential political figures continue.
The burial is scheduled for Sunday, to be conducted in accordance with the traditions of the African Church to which Raila belonged.
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