Raila Odinga Junior has officially assumed leadership of the Odinga home following a traditional ceremony held at the family’s residence in Bondo on Thursday.
The event, led by his uncle Dr Oburu Oginga, marked a significant cultural milestone for the family, the formal passing of authority and responsibility within the household, following the burial of the former Premier Raila Odinga.
Dr Oginga, the elder brother of Mr Odinga, said the day’s ceremony was deeply rooted in Luo traditions that guide family transitions after the death of a patriarch.
He emphasized that this was not a political event but a customary handover of domestic leadership and blessings.
“The seat of power in this home is now with Junior, together with his mother. The mum will be there to give him all the advice he needs, but he must stand firm. He must stand firm and lead the home in our culture," he said.
He explained that while Junior would now head the household, the larger Odinga family remained under his own cultural authority as the family patriarch.
“This is not political leadership, but leadership of the home. The larger Odinga family, which I chair and lead, is still under me just as his father was when it came to cultural leadership," he said.
According to Luo customs, the fourth day after burial (chieng’ mar ang’wen) marks the formal end of the mourning period.
The family gathered to observe this day, which traditionally signals the closure of the funeral and the beginning of a new phase for the bereaved household.
“My brother was buried on Sunday last week,” Dr Oburu explained. “Counting from Sunday to last night makes four nights. In our culture, the fourth day is when the funeral officially ends.
That is when daughters married elsewhere go back to their homes and sons who had been staying here during mourning are allowed to return to their families.”
He said the family was following the same traditions that were performed when their father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, was buried.
“We do not disregard culture,” Dr Oginga said. “Even in the Bible, there was Isaac and Jacob, and Esau the father gave his blessings to his sons. The same concept applies in our customs. Blessings and ceremonies to pass authority have always been part of both our faith and our culture.”
Raila Junior being shaved as per traditions, four days after the burial of his father, Raila Odinga, then took charge of the home on October 23, 2025, at Opoda Farm, Bondo.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo|Nation Media Group
The act symbolizes cleansing, renewal, and the transition from mourning to continuity.
“Junior will take the leadership of the family and all the instruments of power as the head of the family as a sign of his new role," he added.
The liedo ritual, elders explained, was once an elaborate process carried out in stages. Razors were first drawn across the scalps of widows and children, followed later by other mourners.
“In the old days, you could hear the scrape of blades at dawn,” said John Akumu, an elder from Alego. “It was the sound that told the village mourning had begun. Today, people do it once, if at all, and sometimes just a symbolic patch at the back.”
Traditionally, relatives would leave the homestead in stages, with the eldest departing first and the youngest last, to signify that grief was loosening its grip on the family.
