What was to be veteran politician Raila Odinga’s solemn first anniversary of his death on October 15, 2025, is quickly morphing into a 2027 campaign battleground.
Top politicians have jumped into the fray to identify with the ideology and legacy of the country’s long-time opposition supremo, who died on October 15, 2025 .
Some politicians are already scrambling to print and distribute campaign merchandise with the late Prime Minister’s image, alongside their 2027 campaign slogans.
Members of the public light candles in memory of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga outside Silverline Hotel in Eldoret City, Uasin Gishu County, on October 2, 2026.
Photo credit: Jared Nyataya | Nation Media Group
ODM, the party Mr Odinga founded, has lined up a series of month-long political rallies to commemorate the occasion. The anniversary has become a major political moment amid a scramble for political inheritance.
Behind the weeks of nationwide rallies is the Orange party’s desire to fire up its support base ahead of the 2027 polls. The outfit is also seeking to exploit the commemoration to showcase the successes of the broad-based government.
Mr Odinga entered the broad-based arrangement with President William Ruto following the June 2024 Gen Z siege that shook the Kenya Kwanza administration to the core. President Ruto is expected to grace the main memorial in Bondo, in an event that is likely to influence the country’s political tone going into next year’s polls.
The political undertones, mobilisation and distribution of party merchandise witnessed during last Friday’s candle-lighting and launch of Mwezi wa Baba already gave a pointer to the political direction the event has taken.
Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja is among city politicians who played a key role in the Uhuru Park event. Mr Sakaja has been seeking to win over the ODM support base in the capital city, and had become a close ally of Mr Odinga before his death last October.
As ODM and pro-government politicians led its supporters in a colourful event at the historic Uhuru Park, Embakasi East MP Babu Owino, who has fallen out with the ODM leadership, was running a parallel show at Jacaranda Grounds in Nairobi.
“We joined the great people of Embakasi East at Jacaranda Grounds for Baba's candle-lighting ceremony. Baba Raila Odinga was a statesman who left a mark on many of us,” said Mr Owino.
A supporter holds a portrait of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga alongside a lit candle during a memorial ceremony in his honour at Uhuru Park, Nairobi, on October 2, 2026.
Photo credit: Wilfred Nyangaresi | Nation Media Group
Mr Owino is part of the Linda Mwananchi Movement led by Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna. He has declared his interest in the Nairobi governorship.
When unveiling his The Equitable Party (TEP) on Monday, Mr Sifuna described the month of October as ‘deeply symbolic’.
“October will forever remain etched in our memories as the month in which we lost our icon and liberation hero, Raila Odinga. We are here because of him, and he has enabled us to scale the mountain and see the Promised Land,” said Mr Sifuna.
“As he himself promised us, he may not get there with us, but we will surely reach the Promised Land. Dear Baba, it can only be your spirit that allowed them to frustrate us all these long months and allow the registration of our party only in your month.”
Winnie Odinga during her anointing by Rose Otumba, Women Representative of the Luo Council of Elders in Siaya, in Bondo, Siaya County, on October 3, 2026.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation
Within Raila’s family, the anniversary has provided the stage for his succession. East African Legislative Assembly MP Winnie Odinga, who is Mr Odinga's last-born daughter, was on Saturday symbolically crowned by a section of Luo elders as the political heir of her late father.
Her mother, Ida Odinga, elder sister Rosemary Odinga, members of the Luo Council of Elders and the wider Odinga family attended the event. However, her brother Raila Odinga Junior was absent, with his mother saying he had been held up elsewhere.
The symbolism was unmistakable. At the heart of the Odinga family home, elders were publicly backing Winnie for a bigger role in the political movement her father led for decades, as the question of who inherits his influence continues to shape the post-Raila era.
Siaya Governor James Orengo, a long-time political ally of Mr Odinga in the struggle for multiparty democracy, has also seized the moment to launch his political party in preparation for the 2027 contest. Mr Orengo is among opposition leaders who have declared interest in running for the presidency.
Siaya Governor James Orengo during a Sunday service at St Stephens ACK Cathedral in Kisumu on July 12, 2026.
Photo credit: Alex Odhiambo | Nation Media Group
The county boss last week posted: “Baba’s anniversary is approaching! Get ready,” alongside a photograph of a hat bearing green, blue and white. He made the post against the backdrop of reports that he has acquired the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), a political outfit previously associated with the late Raila Odinga.
The county boss has, however, not confirmed if that is the vehicle he plans to launch. Mr Orengo is among Linda Mwananchi Movement politicians who have opted to acquire their own political parties.
“I once pushed for a single political party under the Linda Mwananchi Movement, and while its failure was disappointing, my commitment to the cause hasn't wavered. I stand fully dedicated to our ideals and will join opposition leaders nationwide to ensure Ruto becomes a Wantam (one term) president next August,” said Mr Orengo on Monday during the launch of TEP.
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 rallies will be held in Siaya, Kakamega, Garissa, Mombasa, Kajiado, Turkana and finally in Nairobi. The regions picked for the celebrations have traditionally backed Mr Odinga in his years of active politics.
“From Bondo to Garissa, from Kakamega to Nairobi and all over Kenya, we will honour the man who taught us that power belongs to the people,” ODM national chairperson and Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga said.
On October 9, ODM supporters drawn from Kakamega, Vihiga, Busia, Bungoma and Trans Nzoia counties will converge in Kakamega town for a major memorial rally.
This will be followed by family-led activities at Kang’o Ka Jaramogi in Bondo from October 10 to 15. Mr Odinga died on October 15 after suffering a cardiac arrest in Kochi, India.
The party will, on October 17, hold a similar memorial rally in Garissa town. Apart from top party officials, the event will bring together members and supporters drawn from Northern Kenya counties of Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Isiolo and Marsabit.
Coastal counties of Mombasa, Kilifi, Kwale, Lamu and Tana River will also have a two-day political jamboree in commemoration of the veteran politician, running from October 18 to 19.
The Orange brigade will hold similar events in Kajiado on October 21 and Turkana two days later, before converging at the capital city on October 31.
