The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) will Friday, launch a month-long programme of activities to commemorate the first anniversary of the death of its founding leader, Raila Amolo Odinga, with a nationwide candle-lighting ceremony.
The ceremony, scheduled for 6pm, will be held simultaneously across the country, with the party calling on Kenyans to light candles wherever they are in remembrance of the former Prime Minister.
The event marks the beginning of what ODM has christened “Mwezi wa Baba”, a month dedicated to remembering Raila’s political journey, his contribution to Kenya and the values the party associates with his decades-long public life.
In Nairobi, ODM National chairperson Gladys Wanga said the main candle-lighting event will be held at Uhuru Park, beginning 3pm.
“We invite Nairobi residents and all Kenyans to come together at Uhuru Park from 3pm to light a candle in honour of Baba, remember his life and celebrate the values and ideals he stood for,” Ms Wanga said.
Homa Bay Governor and ODM Chairperson Gladys Wanga addresses party supporters during a political rally at Kirembe Grounds, Kisumu on May 31, 2026.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation Media Group
Other designated venues include Treasury Square in Mombasa, Kisumu Central Square, the Governor’s Grounds in Kakamega and Kajiado County headquarters, among other venues across the country.
“Residents of Mombasa and the Coast region are invited to join us at Treasury Square as we light candles in honour of Baba and reflect on the legacy he left for our country,” Ms Wanga added.
ODM says the exercise is intended to give Kenyans an opportunity to pause and remember Raila, who died in India on October 15, 2025, aged 80.
The candle-lighting will be the first in a series of activities spread across the country throughout October as ODM seeks to keep alive the memory of a politician who dominated Kenya’s opposition politics for decades before becoming Prime Minister in the Grand Coalition government.
The party announced the programme earlier this month after its Central Committee meeting of September 9, dedicating the entire month to activities celebrating Raila’s life and legacy.
“Mwezi wa Baba” will subsequently move to Kakamega on October 9 for a major memorial rally bringing together supporters from Western Kenya. Family-led activities will then take centre stage from October 10 to 15, culminating in the main memorial service at Kang’o Ka Jaramogi in Bondo on October 15, exactly one year after Raila’s death.
The programme will then move to Garissa on October 17, followed by activities in the Coast region on October 18 and 19, Kajiado on October 21 and Turkana between October 23 and 25.
For ODM, the commemorations are intended to go beyond mourning Raila by revisiting the political ideals and causes that defined his career.
President William Ruto and ODM leaders at the Voice of Salvation and Healing Church in Kisumu on September 13, 2026 .
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation Media Group
The former Prime Minister spent much of his political life campaigning for constitutional reform, multiparty democracy, devolution and greater political participation.
He became one of the central figures in Kenya’s struggle for political pluralism and was a leading actor in the constitutional reform process that culminated in the 2010 Constitution.
He later served as Prime Minister between 2008 and 2013 after the disputed 2007 presidential election and subsequent power-sharing agreement.
His political career was also marked by repeated presidential bids, alliances and periods in opposition, eventually making him one of the country's most influential political figures.
ODM has said the October activities will provide an opportunity for Kenyans to remember the values Raila stood for and the causes he pursued.
The party has also urged its supporters to use the commemorations to rededicate themselves to what it describes as Raila's ideals.
The first anniversary comes at a particularly significant moment for ODM, which is attempting to define its political identity following the death of the man who had been at the centre of its politics for years.
Raila's death has left ODM operating in a markedly different political environment from the one he dominated.
The party is now led by his elder brother, Dr Oburu Oginga, while a section of its leaders has remained supportive of cooperation with President Ruto.
Another group has taken a more critical position towards the government and become associated with the emerging Linda Mwananchi political movement.
The divisions have added political significance to the Raila anniversary, even though ODM has framed the October programme primarily as a commemoration of its late leader.
Raila's widow, Mama Ida Odinga, has established a national steering committee to coordinate family-led commemorations. The committee is expected to oversee activities around the anniversary period, including those leading up to October 15.
This means the first anniversary will be marked through both party and family activities, with the latter culminating in Bondo, where Raila was laid to rest next to his father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
ODM Director of Communications Philip Etale said tomorrow's candle-lighting provides an opportunity to begin the month by bringing its supporters together in a common act of remembrance.
ODM Chairperson Gladys Wanga (second left) and other party leaders during the Kisumu Rally at Kirembe Grounds on May 31, 2026.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation Media Group
The party has encouraged Kenyans to participate wherever they are, including at designated county venues and through private gatherings.
At precisely 6pm, the candles are expected to provide a symbolic start to a month in which ODM will traverse several regions of the country, revisiting the political journey of the man who built the party into one of Kenya's major political organisations.
But for ODM, the anniversary will also inevitably provide a moment to reflect on the future of the party after Raila, as it seeks to preserve his legacy while navigating new political alliances, internal differences and the approach of the 2027 General Election.
