The Odinga family’s decision to break long-held customs and inter Beryl Odinga, sister to the former Prime Minister Raila Odinga at her father's homestead in Kang’o ka Jaramogi, has stirred a debate rekindling conversations about the place of culture in moments of grief.
Beryl will be laid to rest this Saturday December 6, 2025 in Bondo, where a quiet corner of the Odinga family cemetery awaits her beside her late mother Mama Mary Juma Odinga.
To some, the family is simply choosing dignity, unity and the comfort of home, but to others, especially traditionalists within the Luo community who view the Odingas as cultural custodians, the family should follow the established paths of tradition.
Beryl got married to her first husband Otieno Ambala in 1974, who at the time was an aspiring legislator.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga signs a copy of his autobiography "The Flame of Freedom" in Nairobi on November 30, 2013.
Photo credit: File | AFP
In his brother Raila Odinga’s memoir, The Flame of Freedom , the former Prime Minister gives an account of how he rescued his sister from an abusive marriage and later helping her to settle in Zimbabwe.
Beryl divorced Ambala before his death in 1985 from heart attack while at Kodiaga Prison. At the time of her death, Berly was the widow of John Tamisayi Mungwari.
For this reason, some members of the Luo community are of the view that Beryl should be buried in the home of a man she once shared a life with, either in Zimbabwe or in Gem, Siaya County.
Last week, Raila Odinga Junior relayed the information of the burial site and date after a meeting with the family.
Among family members present were Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s surviving widows Betty Oginga and Susan Oginga as well as Beryl’s step brother Omondi Odinga.
Raila Junior during an interview at Kang’o ka Jaramogi, Bondo, on October 28, 2025. Photo: Alex Odhiambo
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation Media Group
“With the blessings of my uncle, Dr Oburu Oginga, we sat down with Jokawuor to choose the final resting place for my late aunt, Ms Beryl Lillian Achieng Mungwari Odinga at Kang’o ka Jaramogi,” Raila Junior said.
The family announcement sparked a heated debate on social media, with many questioning the symbolism and implications of burying Beryl at her father’s home.
A few days ago, an elderly woman, Anyango Jabalo, implored the Luo Council of Elders to respect the traditions during burials.
“We have seen many mistakes being made during burials of these prominent people, yet the Luo elders, who are the custodians of our culture, are allowing traditions to be broken. Beryl cannot be buried like a small girl who never got married. She will be welcomed either in Gem or Zimbabwe,” said Jabalo.
In her view, Beryl should be buried at her first husband's home in Gem.
Jabalo also expressed reservations with Raila Odinga's burial at Kang’o ka Jaramogi, arguing that the former Prime Minister had already established his homestead at Opoda Farm
Winnie Odinga is consoled by a family member after viewing the body of her Aunt Beryl Achieng at Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi on November 25, 2025.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
“Forcefully, you will proceed with the burial against traditions, but misfortunes will follow you,” she warned the elders and family members.
Jabalo's sentiments were shared others, even as the family maintained that the decision taken was the right one.
Emily Oginga, Beryl’s younger sister said a lot went into considering the burial place of her sister and tradition should not be used to castigate her late sister or the family.
“This decision was made after careful and wide deliberations by the elders. We cannot also look at traditions selectively. If people are insisting that we do so, then Luos should go back to removal of the six lower teeth,” said Ms Oginga.
Jotham Ajiki, the Organizing Secretary of the Luo Council of Elders, said at the end of the day, burial remains a family affair.
He told the Daily Nation that there is also the need to respect the wishes of the dead as per their Wills.
Former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's sister, Ruth Odinga (centre), with other family members after viewing the body of her sister Beryl Achieng at Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi on November 25 2025.
Photo credit: Evans Habil | Nation Media Group
“Burial is a family affair and what was written in the Will takes precedence. There are elders in Bondo, including Dr Oburu Oginga, who might have looked at the issue deeper and made the decision from an informed point of view,” said Mr Ajiki.
Mzee Onyango Radier, an elder who is close to the Odinga family, said culture should be viewed as part of a people but should not be rigid.
He said in Luo tradition, divorce never existed, only separation and therefore wives were buried in the homesteads of their first husbands. However, he pointed out that modernity and legal considerations make this impossible.
“If we were to follow traditions strictly, Beryl was to be buried in Gem where her first husband Ambala comes from, but the current law provides for divorce as final termination of marriage and therefore cannot be applied here,” said Mzee Radier.
Within the Luo community, there are strict rites that guide the burial location of children, women, adults and elders, depending on gender and marital status.
Upon death, all adult Luos are usually transported to their ancestral land for burial, unless they had migrated to areas away from their clan and established recognizable homes, in accordance with the customs and traditions.
Men are typically buried on the right side of their homestead, facing inward, while women are buried on the left, also facing inward.
Unmarried daughters, however, are often buried outside the homestead, sometimes near the fence, signifying they were not yet part of another family.
At the same time, there has been a strong push by communities in Western Kenya, particularly the Luo community, to set aside dedicated sections within their homesteads to serve as private cemeteries.
Proponents of this practice argue that designated burial grounds bring order and efficient land use, in contrast to traditional customs where deceased relatives are interred near family houses, often leaving homesteads cluttered with graves.
In traditional Luo culture, it is common for the homestead to serve as the burial place for family members, with the specific location often determined by clan elders.
However, with changing lifestyles, this practice is evolving, with some families opting for dedicated cemeteries or other designated burial spaces irrespective of gender or status of their0 deceased relatives.
Meanwhile, a memorial service for Beryl will be held at the Consolata Shrine, Westlands on Wednesday December 3, 2025 from 2pm.
On Friday, the body will be airlifted to Kisumu International Airport, where there will be a brief public viewing.
Thereafter, the cottage will leave the airport to Bondo by road where Beryl will be buried on Saturday.
