The casket bearing the body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga during the public viewing at Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Kisumu on October 18, 2025.
Shortly before midnight on October 16, a long meeting had just concluded in the main Parliament building. The meeting had been convened to finalise plans for the body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to lie in state in Parliament.
The meeting was so secret that even most Members of Parliament were unaware of it, and staff involved in the planning were warned of dire consequences should the information leak to the media.
The body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi for the state funeral service on October 17, 2025.
The talks, which started at around 10 pm, concluded at around midnight, and the body of the former opposition leader was expected to arrive at parliament at 5 am on October 17, before proceeding to the Nyayo National Stadium for the State funeral service.
A source who attended the meeting revealed to the Nation that they left Parliament at midnight and returned to the institution at 3 am, ready to ensure that the process went ahead as planned.
“I didn't even tell my wife where I was going at 3am because at that point you could not trust anyone with such information,” the officer, who spoke in confidence, told the Nation.
Mourners climb the the gate of Parliament Building as they attempt to reach the location where the body of Kenya’s former Prime Minister Raila Odinga is expected to be kept on October 16, 2025.
Earlier intelligence reports shared by the Parliamentary leadership had indicated that the crowd that was eager to view the body of the former ODM leader was likely to pose a security risk in parliament.
“There was fear that we were likely to witness another invasion of parliament just like during the Gen Z protest, we therefore had to think of another way of ensuring that the body of Raila was brought because it is important for our history and honor his services to this country,” another senior officer told the Nation.
The late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga's body outside Parliament Building, heading to Nyayo Stadium.
The previous day, Thursday, October 16, had been chaotic after the body arrived from India and plans for public viewing were aborted. But the leadership was not just going to give up on ensuring that Odinga, who served in the House as a member of Lang’ata constituency, was not going to lie in State at the institution.
“There was no way we were going to allow some rowdy people to prevent us from bringing the body of Raila to parliament,” another person at the high-level meeting, but who also requested anonymity, told the Nation.
The meeting was also attended by top orderlies of the House and a representative from the National Police Service, especially those in Nairobi, for smooth coordination purposes.
The meeting concluded some minutes to midnight, and the next stage was on how to communicate the decision to members and execute the plan smoothly without attracting the attention of the members of the public.
The body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi for the State funeral service on October 17, 2025.
The organisers were, however, confident that most members of the public would troop to Nyayo National stadium early in the morning where the State funeral was going to be held and not to the Central Business District where they would have noticed unusual security arrangements in parliament and come in.
A decision was, therefore, made by the organisers that only a few members were going to be notified in order to prevent the leakage of the information to the public, who would turn up again on Friday, a move that might have disrupted the process again.
A few members of about 36 from the National Assembly and 12 from the Senate were then informed of the decision and were asked to turn up in the morning at exactly 7am to view the body.
At 3 am, 10 more members from the National Assembly and five from the Senate were again informed that the body of Odinga would be in the precincts of parliament, and they should turn up to view it and avoid lining up at Nyayo with others for the same during the State funeral service.
“We avoided members who would post the information on social media accounts and attract a crowd of people in parliament, so we only chose a few sober ones,” the source said.
The military vehicle carrying the body of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga arrives at Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi for the state funeral service on October 17, 2025.
Other members were informed in the morning at about 7 am when all the security had been made and the police had secured the area, and the body of Odinga was almost being wheeled into the precincts of parliament.
The process went on smoothly and about 163 members led by President William Ruto together with the family of Odinga managed to pay their last respect to the former Prime Minister whose body was later taken to Nyayo National Stadium for the State funeral service.
Clerk of the National Assembly Samuel Njoroge admitted that the plan was kept under wraps for the good of both the public and parliament.
Mr Njoroge said there was no malice in locking out the public as the event in parliament was just a short one and historical due to the stature of Mr Odinga, who served as the Prime Minister.
“Parliament is the seat of the People's sovereignty. Lying in State at the seat of people's sovereignty is the highest affirmation by the people, through their representatives, of the Individual's contribution to the welfare of the People and their rights,” Mr Njoroge said.
Mama Ida Odinga and her children Rosemary and Raila Junior pay their respect to former Prime Minister Raila Odinga at Moi International Sports Centre, Kasarani in Nairobi on October 16, 2025.
Mr Njoroge explained that lying in State is the highest honour by Parliament, accorded posthumously to an individual who is worth that honour, mostly serving or former Heads of State or Government or those considered to be of similar or near status.
Due to his immense contribution to the growth of democracy and the significant role he played towards building the Nation, Mr Njoroge said Mr Odinga had to lie in State in a house where he also served as an MP for Lang’ata.
The clerk pointed out that to lie in State of the person in Odinga’s stature is a solemn opportunity for the people and their representatives to pay their last respects to the individual, at the seat of the People's sovereignty.
Lying in State in Parliament is also significant as it fulfils part of the uncodified traditions, where the State summons and instructs its Legislature to immediately assemble, drop any other agenda and honour one of its own as a matter of urgency and priority.
Follow our WhatsApp channel for breaking news updates and more stories like this.
