National Museums Of Kenya Invites Bids For Sh30 Million Raila Odinga Memorial Mausoleum and Library

The National Museums of Kenya (NMK) has officially launched the procurement process for the construction of the proposed Raila Odinga Mausoleum and Memorial Center, signaling a major state-backed push to honor the living legacy of the former Prime Minister.

In a formal tender notice published on Tuesday, June 16, 2026, the state corporation invited eligible and reputable contractors to bid for the Sh30 million project, which will be erected at the Odinga family’s ancestral home in Bondo Sub-County, Siaya County.

A Dual-Purpose Historical Project

According to the procurement brief, the contract is two-pronged, encompassing both the creation of a new, state-of-the-art monument for the African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson and extensive face-lift works at the adjacent Jaramogi Mausoleum—the final resting place of Kenya’s founding Vice President, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.

“The National Museums of Kenya (NMK) invites bids from eligible, reputable and qualified contractors to participate in the tender for the Construction of Proposed Raila Odinga Mausoleum and Renovation of Jaramogi Mausoleum in Bondo Sub-County, Siaya County,” the statutory notice reads in part.

The state’s timeline indicates that groundwork at the Kang’o ka Jaramogi precinct is slated to commence before the end of June 2026, immediately after the evaluation and awarding of the contract.

Architectural Blueprint: A Circular Anchor of History

The complex is envisioned as a premier cultural and academic hub rather than just a monument. The architectural blueprints reveal a highly symbolic, ultra-modern layout:

• The Circular Core: At the spatial heart of the memorial precinct sits a bold, circular central building designed to act as the landscape’s organizing anchor, shaping visitor orientation and circulation.

• Infrastructure & Flow: Radiating outward from the central hub is a looping network of access roads and continuous, curved pedestrian pathways that seamlessly integrate the new structure with the existing Jaramogi monument.

• Public Amenities: The facility will house a dedicated research center, a public library, digital archives, an outdoor amphitheater, manicured green spaces, and open community grounds.

Preserving the Fight for Democracy

Once completed, the complex will be managed under the docket of the National Museums of Kenya. It is structurally designed to serve as a national repository documenting Raila Odinga’s decades-long crusade against one-party rule, his pivotal role in the realization of Kenya’s 2010 Constitution, and his historic peace pacts and political transitions that shaped modern East African governance.

Interested and qualified engineering firms have until June 25, 2026, to submit their bids. Detailed tender documents can be downloaded free of charge from the official NMK website or obtained physically from the National Museums of Kenya headquarters in Nairobi.