Oburu Explains Sudden Switch of Raila Odinga’s Coffin After Arrival from India
Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga has explained why there was a difference between the coffin that brought Raila Odinga’s body from India and the one used during the public viewing at Kasarani Stadium.
In an interview with a local TV station on Sunday, November 2, 2025, Oburu said the switch was a practical decision by the family and funeral directors. He said coffins used in India are designed for cremation and not for public display or burial ceremonies.
“In India they cremate the bodies; they don’t bury. They don’t have good boxes to place the bodies,” Oburu said.
According to the senator, the family had planned to spend a short time at Lee Funeral Home or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) to dress and prepare Raila’s body before it was taken to Kasarani. But the huge crowd that had gathered outside the airport made that impossible.
“When we went to the airport to receive the body I didn’t know the sea of people who were waiting outside,” he said. “We wanted to ask them to give us time to dress the body… but the rejection was overwhelming.”
With no room to maneuver, the family and funeral staff decided to do the preparations at Kasarani Stadium itself.
“We managed to do it, to dress up the body, in Kasarani once it arrived there,” Oburu said. “You saw some teargas; it was to release the body so that it could be changed from the casket which came from India. The Lee Funeral people were there in Kasarani Stadium.”
He said the change of coffins was not to deceive the public but a necessary adjustment to have the late leader presented with dignity for the national viewing.
“It was purely logistical,” Oburu concluded. “We just wanted the body to be properly prepared and presented.”
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Oburu Explains Sudden Switch of Raila Odinga’s Coffin After Arrival from India