Raila Odinga Junior has shared a comprehensive update regarding the ongoing state-backed plans to construct a monumental mausoleum and memorial tomb in honor of his father, the veteran opposition leader and former Prime Minister, Raila Odinga, affectionately known to millions as “Baba.”
Providing a project update on Thursday, June 4, Junior revealed that the mausoleum is being co-developed through a strategic inter-ministerial partnership involving the National Government, the National Museums of Kenya (NMK), and the Ministry of Lands, Public Works, Housing and Urban Development.
Designing a Monument for Future Generations
According to the family spokesperson, the high-profile infrastructure project is designed to provide an accurate, long-lasting historical repository documenting the life and times of one of East Africa’s most influential political figures.
The update followed a high-level consultative session where stakeholders inspected the structural layouts and artistic frameworks intended for the historical site.
“Today we held a comprehensive review of the architectural designs and development plans for Baba’s Mausoleum together with Hon. Ummi Bashir, CBS, Principal Secretary for Culture, Arts and Heritage, alongside the architectural team from the National Museums of Kenya and architects from the Ministry of Works,” Raila Junior stated. “A significant step in preserving history, honouring legacy, and creating a lasting monument for future generations.”
Anchored at Kang’o ka Jaramogi
The state monument will be situated within the historic Kang’o ka Jaramogi family estate in Bondo, Siaya County—a location already deeply revered in Kenyan political history as the final resting place of Kenya’s first Vice President, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
Beyond housing personal archives, rare photographs, and legislative manuscripts detailing the push for multi-party democracy, the mausoleum will serve as an interactive museum.
A central exhibition highlight will include iconic political memorabilia, most notably the historic, custom-branded Hummer H2 SUV that Raila Odinga utilized during the high-stakes 2007 presidential campaign. The vehicle, which came to symbolize the energetic political movement of that era, will be fully restored and permanently preserved on-site, anchoring the exhibition as a tangible piece of Kenya’s democratic transition.