An aerial view of the late Raila Odinga mausoleum/PCSThe pentagonal shape of the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga’s mausoleum is a symbol of unity, togetherness and completion, President William Ruto has said.
Speaking during the handover and dedication of the mausoleum at Kang’o Ka Jaramogi in Bondo, Siaya County, Ruto said the five-sided structure was deliberately designed to reflect an important part of Raila’s political history.
“This mausoleum speaks Baba’s language. It is shaped as a pentagon, with five sides. Among the Luo, five is Abich, the number of unity, togetherness and completion,” Ruto said.
He linked the five sides to the ODM Pentagon of 2007, when leaders from different parts of the country came together behind a common national vision.
“Five recalls the ODM Pentagon of 2007. Leaders from every corner of Kenya came together behind a common national vision. I was privileged to sit at that table with him. I saw and learnt first-hand how Jakom built bridges between communities and between people,” he said.
The President noted that the mausoleum stands next to the six-sided mausoleum of Raila’s father, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Kenya’s first Vice-President.
“Beside it stands the six-sided mausoleum of Jaramogi. Five after six, in harmony. Father and son, distinct in their times, but united in purpose,” Ruto said.
He thanked the Ministry of Defence, the State Department for Culture, Arts and Heritage, the State Department for Public Works, the National Museums of Kenya and the Odinga family for completing the project.
Ruto said the structure could not by itself capture Raila’s contribution to the country, arguing that his legacy must be reflected through action.
“A building cannot contain Baba’s legacy. Stone can keep his memory, but only a nation can keep his promises,” he said.
He described Raila’s lifelong cause as “equitable transformation”, saying the former Prime Minister believed no person or region should be left behind because of where they lived, their tribe or how they voted.
Ruto said he had accepted Raila’s challenge to pursue inclusive government policies and would continue advancing programmes across the country.
He cited the dualling of the Rironi-Mau Summit highway, the extension of the Standard Gauge Railway from Naivasha to Kisumu and Malaba, and plans for the Isiolo-Mandera highway and the 500km Lake Victoria ring road.
“Every road we
open in a forgotten region advances the usawa transformation of our
country. And every such road is a tribute to the legacy of Raila
Amolo Odinga,” he said.
