Committee chairperson Prof Adams Oloo addressing media alongside Mama Ida on September 17, 2026/ SCREENGRABThe National Steering Committee organising the first anniversary of the death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga has said all commemorative activities and partnerships must be guided by and approved by the Odinga family.
Speaking on behalf of the committee, its chairman, Prof Adams Oloo, said the celebrations would be national, with people from different religious, political and regional backgrounds invited to participate.
Oloo said the committee would be guided by three principles set out by the family as it coordinates the anniversary activities.
He said the first was that the commemorations would remain family-led, with the Odinga family retaining a role in approving partnerships between the committee and other institutions.
“Our duty at the National Steering Committee is to stay within the principles that she has laid for us,” Oloo said.
He said this would apply to partnerships with the government, universities, the Kenya School of Government and other institutions seeking to participate in the commemorations.
“Any partnership that this National Steering Committee will enter into, including with government, including with any institution, including the universities and Kenya School of Government, shall have the thumbprint of the family,” Oloo said.
The second principle, he said, was to ensure that the commemorations remained centred on the people who identified with Raila and his legacy.
Oloo said Ida had made it clear that Kenyans were welcome to participate, while individuals the family considers inappropriate for the events would not be included.
“She told me something that she has not said here, that all the people are invited, but goons are also people. She told me three times, they are not invited, although they are people,” he said.
The third principle, Oloo said, was to make the anniversary a national commemoration that reflects the diversity of Kenyan society.
He said the activities should include the elderly, women, youth, persons living with disabilities and marginalised communities, while bringing together people across religious and other social divides.
“It has to reflect what Baba was,” Oloo said.
The committee's formation comes as different groups prepare separate activities to mark one year since Raila’s death.
ODM has announced a month-long programme dubbed “Mwezi wa Baba”, beginning on October 2 with a nationwide candle-lighting ceremony and featuring memorial activities in several parts of the country before concluding with a rally in Nairobi on October 31.
The family-led committee is expected to coordinate the broader anniversary commemorations, with Ida saying institutions and groups wishing to organise activities should engage through the national steering committee.
The anniversary will also come as construction continues on a mausoleum for Raila at Kang'o Ka Jaramogi in Bondo, Siaya County, where the former Prime Minister was buried.
The project was officially launched in July, with the Kenya Defence Forces taking charge of its construction.
Oloo said the committee would seek to ensure the commemorations captured the different aspects of Raila’s public life and the people he represented.
“That’s the only way we can do justice to the man who left us, who now lies several feet under in Kano, Kajeramon,” he said.
