Raila accorded 17-gun salute and last post in fitting farewell

Former Prime Minister Raila Amollo Odinga was accorded a 17-gun salute and the ceremonial last post by the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) in a dignified military send-off at Kang’o ka Jaramogi in Bondo, Siaya County.

The full military honours were conducted in line with the presidential proclamation issued by President William Ruto immediately after Raila’s death was announced.

Raila served as Kenya's second prime minister from 2008 to 2013 in a power-sharing deal he signed with then-President Mwai Kibaki.

The directive ordered that the veteran opposition leader and statesman be given an official funeral with full national and military honours, befitting his contribution to the country.

At the ceremony, the casket draped in the Kenyan flag rested under tight military guard as hundreds of mourners gathered at Kang’o ka Jaramogi, the final resting place of Raila’s father, Kenya’s first Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.

At exactly 16:53, the KDF artillery unit fired 17 rounds into the air.

Each blast echoed across the fields of Bondo, symbolizing the nation’s deep respect for Raila’s lifelong service to democracy, justice, and freedom.

Moments later, a lone military bugler sounded the last post, the traditional bugle call marking the end of a soldier’s duty.

The mourners stood in silence, many in tears, as the solemn notes drifted across the crowd, a poignant tribute to a man who, though never president, shaped Kenya’s political destiny for decades.

In Kenya’s military tradition, a 21-gun salute is reserved for a sitting president, while a former president receives 19 rounds.

The decision to honour Raila with 17 rounds was both symbolic and historic, recognizing him as a national statesman and freedom fighter who sacrificed personal ambition for the ideals of democracy and unity.

President William Ruto, who led the nation in the final farewell, described Raila as “a patriot whose courage and vision transformed our republic.”